Pinterest is an American social media service that publishes and discovers information through pinboards. This includes recipes, home, style, motivation, and online inspiration using image sharing. Pinterest, Inc. was founded by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp, and is headquartered in San Francisco.
Pinterest originated from an earlier app called Tote, developed by Ben Silbermann and Paul Sciarra. Tote was designed as a virtual replacement for paper catalogs but faced significant challenges due to the limitations of mobile payment technology at the time. Users, however, began creating and sharing collections of favorite items within the app. Recognizing the potential in this behavior, Silbermann shifted focus and created Pinterest, a platform for users to curate and share collections of diverse items.
Development of Pinterest started in December 2009, and the prototype launched as a closed beta in March 2010. Within nine months, the platform attracted 10,000 users. Silbermann took a personal approach by writing to the first 5,000 users, offering his phone number, and even meeting some of them in person. The launch of an iPhone app in March 2011 drove unexpected growth, followed by the release of an iPad app and a mobile-friendly version of the website for non-iPhone users.
By August 2011, Pinterest gained recognition as one of Time Magazine's "50 Best Websites of 2011." By the end of the year, it was among the top 10 social networks, boasting 11 million weekly visits. The platform's rapid growth continued into 2012, becoming the fastest site to surpass 10 million unique U.S. visitors. It received several accolades, including Best Social Media App and Best Functioning Visual Design at the 2012 Webby Awards.
Pinterest introduced significant updates over the years. In March 2012, it revised its terms of service to remove the right to sell user content. By August 2012, Pinterest opened its platform to all users, eliminating the invitation-only system. Later that year, it launched business accounts, allowing brands to create dedicated profiles or convert existing personal accounts. In April 2017, Pinterest removed its "like" feature, consolidating user interactions into boards to streamline the platform's functionality.
As Pinterest evolved, it shifted from a social network to a hub for visual search and e-commerce. Features like shopping catalogs and advanced visual discovery tools enhanced the user experience, helping the platform remain relevant in a competitive market. In February 2019, Pinterest filed for an initial public offering (IPO) and went public on April 18, 2019, with shares debuting at $19 and closing the day at $24.40.
Pinterest has also made key acquisitions to stay ahead. In December 2021, it acquired the video editing app Vochi, and in May 2022, it launched Pinterest TV Studio, a platform for live streaming with multi-device functionality. These moves underline Pinterest’s growing focus on video content and engagement.
In June 2022, co-founder and CEO Ben Silbermann transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman, while Bill Ready, a seasoned e-commerce expert, took over as CEO. In January 2023, Pinterest partnered with LiveRamp to introduce data clean rooms, enabling advertisers to use first-party data for personalized campaigns while ensuring user privacy. This partnership demonstrates Pinterest’s commitment to balancing innovation with data protection in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
