Etsy Appoints Rafe Colburn as Chief Technology Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Etsy (NASDAQ: ETSY) has announced the appointment of Rafe Colburn as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective May 5, 2025. Colburn currently serves as Chief Technology & Product Officer at Depop, and previously spent nearly 10 years at Etsy leading engineering teams across various critical areas.

In his role at Depop, Colburn successfully scaled the technology team and transformed the customer experience to be more app-based and discovery-centric. His previous experience at Etsy included leadership in ads, marketing technology, seller experience, trust & safety, and customer support.

The appointment comes as part of broader executive changes, with Peter Semple being appointed interim CEO of Depop and Kruti Patel Goyal transitioning to President and Chief Growth Officer at Etsy. Colburn will be based at Etsy's Brooklyn headquarters and report directly to CEO Josh Silverman.

Positive

• Appointment of experienced technology leader with prior Etsy knowledge
• Strong track record in scaling technology teams and transforming customer experience
• Focus on AI implementation and shopping experience transformation
• Strategic alignment with company's growth initiatives

Negative

• Potential disruption during leadership transition period
• Multiple simultaneous executive changes across Etsy and Depop
• Interim leadership situation at Depop pending permanent CEO appointment

BROOKLYN, N.Y., March 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ETSY), which operates two-sided online marketplaces that connect millions of passionate and creative buyers and sellers around the world, today announced the appointment of Rafe Colburn as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective May 5, 2025.

Colburn brings a wealth of technology leadership experience to the role. He currently serves as Chief Technology & Product Officer at Depop, where he has successfully scaled the technology team to support rapid growth and transformed the customer experience to one that is more app-based and discovery-centric. Prior to Depop, Colburn spent nearly 10 years at Etsy, where he led engineering teams during periods of significant growth and transformation across a wide range of critical areas, including ads, marketing technology, seller experience, trust & safety, localization and translation, and customer support. 

"The magic of Etsy lies in our ability to leverage technology to forge meaningful human connections," said Josh Silverman, Chief Executive Officer of Etsy. "During his time at both Depop and Etsy, Rafe has proven he can set a technical strategy that enables us to scale our impact and connect more buyers with our global community of sellers. He has a clear vision for creating shopping experiences that are highly differentiated, personalized, and relevant. I am thrilled to officially welcome Rafe to Etsy's executive leadership team as we work to reignite growth and solidify Etsy as the starting point for special."

"I'm honored to take on this role and work alongside Etsy's talented team," said Rafe Colburn. "The technology landscape is particularly dynamic right now; AI is maturing at a rapid pace, presenting an incredible opportunity for us to transform the shopping experience, engage with buyers in more meaningful ways, and create more economic opportunities for our sellers."

Colburn will be based out of Etsy's Brooklyn, NY headquarters. He will report to Etsy's CEO Josh Silverman and be part of Etsy's Executive Team. 

Additionally, Peter Semple has been appointed interim CEO of Depop, also effective May 5, 2025. Semple currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Depop and has been with the brand since 2019. As previously announced, Depop's current CEO, Kruti Patel Goyal, is transitioning to the role of President and Chief Growth Officer at Etsy. Semple will lead Depop on an interim basis until the company identifies its next leader. 

Rafe Colburn Biography

Rafe Colburn currently serves as Chief Technology & Product Officer at Depop. In this role, he is responsible for Depop's product & design function, driving the vision for Depop's end-to-end user experience while building a high-performing product organization.

Prior to Depop, Colburn served as Vice President of Engineering at Etsy, and was responsible for Etsy's Ads, Fulfilment, Seller Experience, Marketing Technology, and Landing Experience teams. During his tenure, he established Etsy's Data Engineering team, and was responsible for Payments and Checkout, Compliance, International, Member Services, and Trust & Safety engineering.

Earlier in his career, Colburn was the Principal Engineer at IDology and worked as a consultant at a number of firms building custom applications. He has authored numerous articles, papers, and books on Web development.

About Etsy
Etsy, Inc. operates two-sided online marketplaces that connect millions of passionate and creative buyers and sellers around the world. These marketplaces share a mission to "Keep Commerce Human," and we're committed to using the power of business and technology to strengthen communities and empower people. Our primary marketplace, Etsy.com, is the global destination for unique and creative goods. Buyers come to Etsy to be inspired and delighted by items that are crafted and curated by creative entrepreneurs. For sellers, we offer a range of tools and services that address key business needs.

Etsy, Inc.'s "House of Brands" portfolio also includes fashion resale marketplace Depop, and Reverb, the largest online marketplace dedicated to music gear. Each Etsy, Inc. marketplace operates independently, while benefiting from shared expertise in product, marketing, technology, and customer support.

Etsy was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York.

Etsy has used, and intends to continue using, its Investor Relations website and the Etsy News Blog (etsy.com/news) to disclose material non-public information and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, you should monitor our investor relations website and the Etsy News Blog in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, and public conference calls and webcasts.

Investor Relations Contact:
Deb Wasser, Vice President, Investor Relations
Sarah Marx, Senior Director, Investor Relations
ir@etsy.com   

Media Relations Contact:
Kelly Clausen, Vice President, Communications & Community
Lauren Bayse, Senior Director, Corporate Communications
press@etsy.com  

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains or references forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements relating to the timing of the Executive Team changes and Etsy's strategy for reigniting growth. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "could," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "will," or similar expressions and derivative forms and/or the negatives of those words.
Forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expect. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: (1) the level of demand for our services or products sold in our marketplaces and our ability to support our growth; (2) our ability to reignite growth and solidify Etsy as the starting point for special; (3) the importance to our success of the trustworthiness of our marketplaces and our ability to attract and retain active and engaged communities of buyers and sellers; (4) our failure to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations; (5) macroeconomic events that are outside of our control; (6) our ability to recruit and retain employees; (7) our ability to compete effectively; and (8) our ability to enhance our current offerings and develop new offerings to respond to the changing needs of sellers and buyers. These and other risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and subsequent reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, achievements, or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will occur.
Forward-looking statements represent our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. We disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE Etsy, Inc.

FAQ

When will Rafe Colburn start as Etsy's new CTO?

Rafe Colburn will begin his role as Etsy's CTO on May 5, 2025.

What is Rafe Colburn's previous experience with ETSY?

Colburn previously spent nearly 10 years at Etsy, leading engineering teams in areas including ads, marketing technology, seller experience, trust & safety, and customer support.

What executive changes are happening at ETSY and Depop?

Rafe Colburn is becoming Etsy's CTO, Peter Semple is appointed interim CEO of Depop, and Kruti Patel Goyal is transitioning to President and Chief Growth Officer at Etsy.

What are ETSY's plans for AI implementation under the new CTO?

Colburn plans to leverage AI's rapid maturation to transform shopping experiences, enhance buyer engagement, and create more economic opportunities for sellers.