Pinterest CEO Bill Ready learned one key lesson early — it shaped the toughest call of his career

From a small-town auto repair shop in Kentucky to Silicon Valley and the Pinterest CEO role, Bill Ready reflects on the early lessons that shaped his leadership—and the controversial decision to make the platform private for users under 16. Widely criticised at the time, the move helped redefine Pinterest as a safer space for Gen Z and proved that accountability and long‑term thinking can also be good business.