Business Daily Meets: Pinterest CEO Bill Ready

Date: October 23, 2025
Host: Shona McCallum, BBC World Service
Guest: Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest

Overview

In this episode, Shona McCallum interviews Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest. The conversation delves into Ready's journey from humble beginnings in Kentucky to his current role, his vision for Pinterest as a positive social alternative, the company’s bold approach to safeguarding young users, and the future of online platforms in the age of AI. The discussion is candid about Big Tech’s pitfalls and centers on how Pinterest is charting a different—more responsible—path for social media.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bill Ready's Background and Leadership Journey

• From Mechanic to Tech Leader

  • Grew up working in parents' auto repair shop in Kentucky, emphasizing hands-on learning and direct customer relationships.

  • Quote [02:56]:
    “If we, you know, had to look customers in the eye and if we didn't do good things for customers, we weren't going to eat well, literally.” — Bill Ready

  • First in his family to attend college; supported by Pell Grants for families below poverty line.

  • Progression from University of Louisville to Harvard Business School, McKinsey, and various tech startups, before delivering products for Braintree, Venmo, PayPal, Google, and eventually Pinterest.

2. What Makes Pinterest Distinctive

• Visual Discovery and Authentic Inspiration

  • Pinterest is positioned as a digital pinboard for curating ideas around fashion, home decor, recipes, and more—centered on how people express their tastes.
  • Quote [01:28 & 05:05]:
    “We're the only place in the Western world where people go to curate and refine their tastes… things that people do on Pinterest all day long.” — Bill Ready

• Gen Z Appeal

  • Popular for being an “oasis” away from social media toxicity—affirming self-discovery over comparison.
  • Quote [06:21]:
    “When I'm on other platforms, it's other people telling me who to be versus Pinterest. I just get to figure out who I want to be.” — Bill Ready

3. Prioritizing Safety for Young Users (and Facing the Market Consequences)

• Tough Decisive Actions

  • Made under-16 accounts private-only, under-18 private by default—removing key social features for younger users, which initially caused a 20% stock drop.
  • Quote [02:00 & 08:40]:
    “It just makes sense… it's not safe for strangers to be able to contact children online… our stock dropped over 20% when we did it. People thought it would be our end with young users... A year later we had nearly doubled and Gen Z is now more than half our platform.” — Bill Ready

• Vision for Regulation

  • Advocates regulation to ensure apps deliver age-appropriate experiences.
  • Quote [10:21]:
    “I'd like to see regulation that held applications accountable for age appropriate experiences. That doesn't have to mean less users… As we made safer experiences, we got more users.” — Bill Ready

4. Monetization and Evolving User Behavior

• Platform Revenue & Commerce

  • Pinterest's ad model is complemented by its growing role in online shopping and visual search.
  • Quote [11:10]:
    “More than 39% of Gen Z thinks of Pinterest as a first place to go search… we're solving for visual search, which is really… the I'll know it when I see it problem, which is so much of how people actually shop.” — Bill Ready

• Global & Demographic Growth

  • Largest audiences in the US, Brazil, Mexico.
  • 80%+ of members are outside the US, with Gen Z as the largest and fastest-growing demographic.

5. The Molly Russell Inquest and Pinterest's Duty of Care

• Reaction to Tragedy

  • The 2017 suicide of UK teenager Molly Russell, linked to exposure to harmful online content, propelled global conversations about tech responsibility.
  • Quote [14:13]:
    “As a parent… it's such a tragedy… While that happened before my time here at Pinterest, you know, I think about it every day.” — Bill Ready

• Leading on Safety & Transparency

  • Pinterest has gone further than most by making accounts for under-16s private, measuring/publishing user wellbeing data, sharing best practices, and actively seeking to lead industry standards.
  • Quote [15:35]:
    “We're the only platform doing private only for under 16, publishing results on our emotional well-being impact… sharing the work we've done with others in hopes that others adopt it as well… I think about Molly every day and it guides us.” — Bill Ready

6. Measuring Well-Being and Proactive Content Management

• Focus on Emotional Well-Being

  • Pinterest is unique in how it evaluates its positive impact—using independent studies and internal data to ensure users leave feeling better.

  • No nudity, and policies tuned to amplify positive, real-life enabling content.

  • Quote [16:18]:
    “Independent studies find that people feel better after time spent on our platform, particularly when compared to social media platforms.” — Bill Ready

  • Innovative features like in-app prompts for school-aged users detected online during school hours.

7. Responsible AI and the Future of Tech Platforms

• AI as a Force for Good (If Used Wisely)

  • Pinterest is intentionally tuning its AI for positive outcomes, measuring and publishing annual impact, aiming for ongoing improvements.

  • Quote [17:50]:
    “AI… can do a lot of good in the world, but we also need to think about how to use it responsibly. With any great new technology, it can be used for good or it can be used for bad.” — Bill Ready

  • Hopes other social platforms will compete on user safety and wellbeing as car companies do on safety records.

8. Personal Touch: Bill's Own Pinterest Board

• What Inspires the CEO?
  • Bill shares that his board includes clothes and sneakers, but also classic cars, harking back to his Kentucky roots.
  • Quote [19:12]:
    “Clothes and sneakers are a big one for me. Also… classic automobiles and things like that are a big interest for me also.” — Bill Ready

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We're the only place in the Western world where people go to curate and refine their tastes.” — Bill Ready [01:28, 05:05]
• “When I'm on other platforms, it's other people telling me who to be versus Pinterest. I just get to figure out who I want to be.” — Bill Ready [06:21]
• “It's not safe for strangers to be able to contact children online… somehow social media has conditioned us to accept that that's okay.” — Bill Ready [08:40]
• “While our stock dropped over 20%… a year later we had nearly doubled and Gen Z is now more than half our platform.” — Bill Ready [08:40]
• “I'd love to wake up in a world where social media companies were competing on their safety records the same way that auto manufacturers do.” — Bill Ready [17:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bill Ready’s Early Life and Career Path — 02:47–04:21
• Pinterest’s Uniqueness & Gen Z Appeal — 05:05–07:14
• Safety Measures for Young Users & Stock Impact — 08:40–10:45
• Pinterest as a Visual Search/Shopping Platform — 11:10–12:07
• Impact & Aftermath of Molly Russell Case — 13:31–16:18
• AI and the Future of Online Platforms — 17:40–18:50
• Bill’s Personal Pinterest Board — 19:12–19:43

Conclusion

This episode reveals Bill Ready’s personal and strategic motivations for steering Pinterest towards a safer, more positive, and user-focused platform—often in defiance of conventional Big Tech wisdom. By making tough regulatory and technological decisions (sometimes at the expense of short-term profit), Pinterest is setting its own course in an industry often plagued by controversy. The discussion is grounded in empathy and practical action, with Ready’s personal history and optimism for responsible AI highlighting a future for social media that’s both inspiring and accountable.