ReThinking: Fixing Social Media with Pinterest CEO Bill Ready

Host: Adam Grant (TED)
Guest: Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This engaging episode of ReThinking dives into how social media could shift away from its addiction to engagement through outrage ("enragement") and become a positive, constructive force—especially for young people. Host Adam Grant interviews Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest, about his radical vision: proving that doing good and doing well in social media are not mutually exclusive. They discuss Pinterest’s unique approach to user well-being, policy changes, the business case for positivity, and what it looks like to build a safer, more inclusive digital space.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Problems with Enragement-Based Social Media (02:34–05:42)

• Business Model Critique: Bill Ready critiques how most social media platforms use algorithms to maximize “view time” by exploiting users’ emotional triggers, often leading to negative emotional outcomes—especially in young people.
• Historical Shift: The shift from chronological feeds to AI-driven recommended feeds (circa 2014–2015), which correlated with increased negativity and mental health issues.
• Quote:
  “Social media as currently configured is unsafe for kids under 16. Full stop.”
  — Bill Ready (02:02)
• Quote:
  “At the core of that is that social media uses AI to maximize your view time...it figures out how to show you those things to maximize your view time.”
  — Bill Ready (02:41)

2. Pinterest’s Alternative: Tuning for Positivity (03:49–06:19)

• System 1 vs. System 2: Instead of optimizing for users' “downstairs brain” (impulsive reactions), Pinterest focuses on intentional choices—what users save versus what they just view.
• Outcome: Tuning for what users consciously engage with brought positive, actionable content (self-help, DIY) to the surface.
• Quote:
  “Instead of tuning for this sort of instinctual reaction...what if we appealed to conscious thought?”
  — Bill Ready (03:58)
• Quote:
  “We’re going after time well spent instead of time spent.”
  — Bill Ready (06:15)

3. Pinterest's Teen Safety Policies and Their Impact (06:21–08:56)

• Safety Initiatives: Pinterest is the only platform that is “private only” for users under 16—and this cannot be reversed.
• User Growth: Despite initial investor skepticism and a 20% stock drop, this policy led to an increase in young users, as more Gen Zers sought safer online spaces.
• Quote:
  “We’re the only social media platform that is private only for users under 16. And when I say private only, it’s not a feature you can re-enable...”
  — Bill Ready (06:46)
• Quote:
  “While there’s all this talk of how Gen Z is struggling...they do want to find ways to make healthier choices.”
  — Bill Ready (07:53)

4. Industry Resistance and Hope for Change (09:34–13:39)

• Reluctance to Change: Bill suggests early harms were possibly unintended, but the profit model now disincentivizes change—even when negative impacts are well known.
• “Seatbelt” Analogy: The story of car safety standards parallels today’s potential for social media to compete on safety and well-being.
• Quote:
  “When you talk about things like, you know, ranking you amongst your friend groups...that’s directly trying to monetize teen anxiety.”
  — Bill Ready (11:03)

5. Design Choices: Diversity, Body Positivity, & Representation (16:15–17:32)

• Diversity by Default: Pinterest includes filters for body type, skin tone, and more—allowing users to see themselves represented.
• Positive Outcomes: Personalization for diversity not only “does good,” but also boosts engagement and business results.
• Quote:
  “When we started showing more what the average person looks like instead of what the average fashion model looks like, that was actually good for user engagement.”
  — Bill Ready (16:24)

6. Changing Norms: Social Media, Phones, and Schools (18:02–24:11)

• Support for Phone-Free Schools: Bill and Adam cite global studies showing that banning smartphones from schools improves academic and social outcomes.
• Policy in Practice: Bill recounts his daughter’s school’s process of going phone-free—it was difficult to implement but quickly paid off with better student interactions.
• Quote:
  “When the kids are in between classes, like they’re talking to each other, they’re interacting with one another...Now they’re talking to each other again and it sounds like a school and you hear the sounds of childhood again.”
  — Bill Ready (19:41)
• Pinterest's Role: The company now prompts under-18 users to exit the app during school hours and offers an option to mute notifications for more focus.

7. Industry Leadership and the Inspired Internet Pledge (24:16–25:09)

• Sharing What Works: Pinterest created the Inspired Internet Pledge alongside Boston Children’s Hospital, pledging transparency and accountability for emotional well-being impact.
• Quote:
  “We're committing to consistently measure our impact on emotional well-being of our users, committing to improve over time and publish our results.”
  — Bill Ready (24:16)

8. Leadership Philosophy: Lessons from Kentucky and Customer Service (26:35–28:14, 36:48–38:34)

• Building “Freedom Fighters”: Bill values teams that are mission-driven and expects direct challenges if the mission isn’t real.
• Resilience as a Hiring Criterion: Bill sees non-traditional backgrounds as an asset, seeking out employees who have overcome adversity.
• User Empathy: He draws on his early customer service experience to ensure he keeps users’ best interests central.
• Quote:
  “If I was looking [at users] in the eye, could I explain what I did and why I thought it was right?”
  — Bill Ready (27:47)
• Quote:
  “I remember...having to explain to [a farmer] what I did and...him telling me what it meant to him and his family...Boy, because I'd made a careless mistake, I sure thought twice the next time because it had a real impact on somebody's life.”
  — Bill Ready (37:19)

9. DEI and Meritocracy at Pinterest (31:29–35:12)

• Not a Zero-Sum Game: Bill positions diversity and meritocracy as mutually reinforcing: “Great talent comes from all different backgrounds.”
• Pinterest’s Diversity Progress: Majority women on the executive team and director level; inclusion is linked to business outperformance.
• Personal Story: Bill’s rise from a Kentucky auto shop, first in family to go to college, supported by Pell Grants.

10. How to Create a Movement for Positive Change (28:53–30:48)

• Adam’s advice: Listening, motivational interviewing, and asking change-resistant leaders, “What evidence would change your mind?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On changing the social media business model:
  “You can actually make money on positivity. You can do well by doing good.”
  — Bill Ready (02:02)

• On leadership and team building:
  “There are few gifts better than a worthy competitor...I’d love to see somebody step up and compete with us on how to do more for positivity because it will actually push us to up our game.”
  — Bill Ready (17:32)

• On industry analogy:
  “I'd love to see a world where social media companies were competing on their safety records the same way the auto manufacturers now compete on theirs.”
  — Bill Ready (09:28)

• On overcoming adversity:
  “I also want to know, what have you overcome?”
  — Adam Grant (36:48)

• On hope for the future:
  “There is a growing movement of people that want to do the right thing...I think there are a lot of people that like, that is what drives them and that gives me hope.”
  — Bill Ready (38:43)

Important Timestamps

• 02:02 – Social media as “unsafe for kids under 16”; need to change the business model.
• 03:58 – Using conscious user choices to tune Pinterest’s algorithms.
• 06:19 – “Time well spent instead of time spent.”
• 08:53 – Private accounts for under-16s and Gen Z engagement.
• 11:03 – Critiquing profit-from-anxiety features like social comparison.
• 16:24 – Details on Pinterest’s diversity features.
• 18:15 – Banning phones in schools; evidence and implementation stories.
• 24:16 – The Inspired Internet Pledge and industry transparency.
• 26:39 – Bill’s career advice and leadership philosophy.
• 31:29 – Integration of diversity and meritocracy at Pinterest.
• 36:48 – Resilience as a crucial hiring factor.
• 37:19 – Lessons learned in the Kentucky auto shop.

Summary Takeaways

• Pinterest is proving that social media can build a successful business model around positive experiences and user well-being.
• Safety and privacy, especially for young people, are at the forefront of their policies—even at the expense of short-term market performance.
• Algorithmic design can (and should) be intentional about promoting positivity, diversity, and real-world action over mindless engagement.
• Systemic industry change will likely require both free-market innovation and thoughtful regulation, similar to auto industry safety standards.
• Resilient, mission-driven teams are crucial in building organizations that do well by doing good.
• Diversity and inclusion, when aligned with meritocracy, are not only ethical imperatives but also pathways to stronger business performance.

For listeners seeking solutions to the toxic effects of social media, this episode offers optimism—and a roadmap.