Pinterest is a publicly traded company, so it’s owned collectively by its shareholders rather than any single person. Bill Ready has served as CEO since 2022, but the largest individual shareholder is actually co-founder Ben Silbermann, who stepped back from the CEO role but retained significant equity and outsized voting power.
This is a common pattern with tech IPOs I cover on this site: the founder steps back operationally but keeps influence through a dual-class share structure.
Quick Facts
| Company | Pinterest, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Ownership Type | Publicly traded (NYSE: PINS) |
| CEO | Bill Ready (since June 2022) |
| Co-Founder / Largest Individual Shareholder | Ben Silbermann (~7.6% equity, higher voting power via Class B shares) |
| Largest Institutional Shareholder | The Vanguard Group (~9.6%) |
| Founded | 2010 |
Ownership History
| Year | Development |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp, and Paul Sciarra found Pinterest |
| 2019 | Pinterest goes public on the NYSE |
| June 2022 | Bill Ready, former PayPal and Google executive, is appointed CEO, succeeding co-founder Ben Silbermann, who transitions to executive chairman |
| 2026 | Ownership remains broadly institutional, with Vanguard, BlackRock, and other index funds holding the largest blocks of shares alongside insider holdings |
Key Ownership Highlights
- Institutional investors hold roughly 62% of Pinterest shares, insiders about 18%, and retail investors the remaining 21%.
- Ben Silbermann’s Class B shares carry outsized voting power relative to his equity stake, a common structure used by founders to retain influence after stepping back from day-to-day leadership.
- Bill Ready brought fintech and e-commerce experience from PayPal and Google to the CEO role, part of a broader push to grow Pinterest’s shopping and advertising business.
FAQ
Who owns Pinterest?
No single person owns Pinterest — it’s a publicly traded company owned by its shareholders, with institutional investors like Vanguard holding the largest blocks.
Does Ben Silbermann still run Pinterest?
No. He stepped back from the CEO role in 2022, handing the title to Bill Ready, though he remains executive chairman and the largest individual shareholder.