Tumblr's 'Shadow CEO' Is Out

LinkedIn

Derek Gottfrid

Derek Gottfrid, who joined from the New York Times in 2010, is leaving, according to a memo David Karp sent to the staff.

Gottfrid was almost a "shadow CEO" according to people close to the company. When he joined Tumblr it was still a messy company, but he stepped in and helped organize it.

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He kept taking on new responsibilities, and eventually he was leading things on a day-to-day basis. He led product, then engineering, then he got Tumblr into the ad business, and he was a key part of the Yahoo deal.

In many ways, he was Tumblr's Sheryl Sandberg, but without the big name or profile.

More to come, but here is the email from Karp:

Team - I've made the decision that it's time for Derek to move on from Tumblr.

Derek's contributions are immeasurable and I am tremendously grateful for everything he has done for me, the team, and our users.

With this change, I will be taking a more active role in managing Derek's teams. Derek leaves big shoes to fill and I'm excited to see you all step in as we move forward. I'll be following up with his teams over the next couple days to answer any questions, address any concerns, and go over changes in reporting.

Thank you all for all your efforts and patience during this transition. I've truly never been more excited for Tumblr's future.

David