Bill Ready (Pinterest) on Social Media’s “Big Tobacco” Moment, Growing Pinterest to 578M Users, and What Gen Z Really Wants

Bill Ready has never been afraid to make big bets—and at Pinterest,
those bets are paying off. Since becoming CEO, he’s doubled down on
building a healthier internet: one where all accounts under 16 are
private by default, AI is tuned for positivity, and users come away
inspired instead of exhausted. Today, Sammi sits down with Bill to
trace his journey from his father’s auto shop in Kentucky to the
helm of PayPal, Google, and now Pinterest. They dig into the
headline-making decisions that reshaped Pinterest’s future, the
rise of Gen Z shopping habits, and how collaborations like
Pinterest Predicts with Emma Chamberlain’s coffee brand are setting
cultural trends. If you want a look at what social media can be
when it prioritizes progress over doomscrolling, this conversation
is it. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social
Currency newsletter  Keep up with Pinterest here Check out the
trend report Pinterest Predicts  00:00 Bill Ready’s Social
Currency  02:05 Early Lessons from the Auto Shop  05:31
The Controversial Decision to Turn Accounts Private for Users Under
16  06:43 Tuning AI for Positivity  26:10 Evolving the
Pinterest Shopping Experience  31:58 Pinterest's Unique
Approach to Video Content  34:24 Inclusive AI Tools and
Driving User Engagement  41:44 How Pinterest Shapes and
Predicts Trends  51:45 Bill’s Systems for Success 53:14 Social
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