And then there were two. The story that we broke this morning has been confirmed by Paul himself on the Pinterest blog. In it he says some interesting things about being on the journey for 3.5 years. Paul takes a significant amount of time to clarify his role in building the company, perhaps to make sure it's clear in the history books what he actually did to make Pinterest the huge success it is today.
"I’ve played lots of roles along the way: from product-guy to recruiter; from fundraiser to construction foreman. I even made a humbling run as a self-taught developer which produced plenty of code I hope never sees the light of day."
Considering his responsibilities have been completely hidden from the public, these definitive statements will serve as his mark on what role he played. Lets not downplay it. After all his name is the one that that signed on the funding documents for the company in 2010. He was there, and he played a pretty big role in getting that funding and selling the vision or else no one would have trusted their money with a company run by someone they didn't respect or who wasn't contributing.
Another interesting point is that he has softly landed at Andreessen Horowitz as an EIR.
"As for me, I’ve accepted a role as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Andreessen Horowitz. I hope that eventually leads me back to doing what I’ve done for the past three and a half years — namely, building cool things with awesome people with unexpected results."
I'm less impressed with this move, clearly driven by the Board and a PR team to save face for the company. Yes, my post this morning forced an early announcement from the company. Much sooner then they would have liked. So after meeting with their PR firm today, they likely decided the best thing to do would be to show that Paul had options. But I don't think there is any shame in Paul just walking away and figuring things out over the next few months. The guy put in 3.5 years through thick and thin. To me that earns him the right to simply walk away with his head held very very high.
The full blog post is included below. As I said this morning, we wish Paul nothing but the best. I have a weird feeling that everything is going to work out just fine for him.
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From Pinterest Co-Founder, Paul Sciarra
I consider myself an incredibly lucky guy. For the last three and a
half years, I have had the privilege of helping to found the company
that — after fits and starts and lots of awkward half-steps — has
become Pinterest.
Following a failed first product, Ben, Evan, and I started work on
Pinterest with a simple idea: make an internet service where people
can create and share collections of images — an online take on the
time-honored tradition of collecting your favorite things in
photo-albums, on refrigerators, in dog-eared stacks of clippings, or,
of course, on physical cork-boards.
Although it’s hard to imagine today, I lost sleep when we launched the
first version in early 2010 over whether anyone except a handful of
close family and guilt-ridden friends would ever use it. Now,
millions of people from all over the world use Pinterest, and it’s on
a trajectory to make pinners of so many more!
The Pinterest journey has often been strange, but always exciting. I’ve
played lots of roles along the way: from product-guy to recruiter;
from fundraiser to construction foreman. I even made a humbling run as
a self-taught developer which produced plenty of code I hope never
sees the light of day.
From marking milestones in hundreds of new pins to millions, the
company has grown, the product has evolved, and I’ve changed too along
the way. After lots of reflection and plenty of discussion with Ben
and others, I’ve decided that now is a good time for me to step down
formally from day-to-day involvement. Of course, I’ll continue to be
there for the company: now, as an advisor, an owner, and — as always — a
dedicated pinner.
Looking back over the past few years, what strikes me most is the
passion of the folks that use Pinterest. Few companies get
love-letters from their users, and few get hugs from users at meetups.
I can almost guarantee that this is the only company ever that’s
been offered homemade barbeque sauce in exchange for a beta
invitation.
This passion reflects, I think, something that we’ve always believed
as a company. That is, that the best internet services aren’t just
ways for people to escape their everyday lives. Instead, those
services with longevity –- with real “legs” –- enhance folks’
day-to-day experiences, deepen their relationships, and show them
things about themselves they didn’t know before.
As for me, I’ve accepted a role as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at
Andreessen Horowitz. I hope that eventually leads me back to doing
what I’ve done for the past three and a half years — namely, building
cool things with awesome people with unexpected results.
I’m grateful to be a part of this enormously talented group of people,
and I’m so excited for what’s to come!
- Paul