After serving as its chief executive for more than a decade, Twitch CEO Emmett Shear will step back into the business.
Shear is one of the original founders of Justin.tv, the live variety streaming service that would become Twitch. Justin.tv was eventually eclipsed by Twitch, its gaming-focused spin-off service, and the latter product became the team’s sole focus in 2014. That same year, Amazon bought the company for $970 million – a flight given the huge culture of Twitch. impact today.
In a blog post, Shear described his desire to leave the company he has been intimately involved with for 16 years. “Twitch often makes me feel like a kid I raised too,” Shear said. “And while I still want to be there if Twitch needs me, at 16 I feel like Twitch is ready to leave home and venture out on my own.”
Twitch President Dan Clancy will assume the role of CEO of the company in a leadership change effective immediately, while Shear will remain as an advisor.
“Emmett has dedicated 16 years to building Twitch, promoting our mission, inspiring us, and empowering us to serve this amazing community,” Clancy said. “I am so grateful for his partnership over the past four years and for the opportunity to continue this work alongside a team that cares so deeply for our streamers and the wider Twitch community.”
This story is developing.
