Etsy broadens CTO position following departure of product head
In a significant move, Etsy has announced the appointment of Rafe Colburn as its new Chief Product and Technology Officer, effective from Monday. This decision comes following the departure of Nick Daniel, who held the same position until October.
Rafe Colburn, who most recently served as the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Depop, will now oversee the engineering and product operations for the Etsy marketplace. His role will be instrumental in leveraging technology to enhance the customer shopping experience and drive growth for the company.
Colburn is no stranger to the challenges and opportunities presented by the e-commerce landscape. At Depop, he managed the end-to-end user experience and built a high-performing product organisation. He also played a crucial role in introducing a browseable search experience on the app, which utilises AI and human intelligence to curate collections for shoppers.
Colburn expressed his enthusiasm for his new role, stating, "There is a tremendous opportunity to harness AI and other emerging technologies to make the shopping experience more personal, intuitive, and delightful." The company aims to rework its platform to use large language models (LLMs) in generative AI to deliver better search results.
This move follows a period of decline in Etsy's sales. In Q2, the company's gross merchandise sales declined 5.4% year over year to $2.4 billion. The company also reported a dip in active buyers, with the number falling 4.6% from a year earlier to 87.3 million.
Prior to his departure, Nick Daniel took on the role of Etsy's chief product officer in 2022. He will advise the company until October. Meanwhile, Etsy's former CEO of Depop, Kruti Patel Goyal, served as the interim CEO after Maria Raga's departure, before changing roles again. She currently reports to Colburn, who is now Etsy's president and chief growth officer.
Peter Semple is the current CEO of Depop. The changes at Etsy are part of a larger trend in the e-commerce industry, as companies continue to adapt and innovate to meet the evolving needs and preferences of their customers.
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