Emmett Shear, the CEO of Twitch and one of its co-founders, confirmed he's leaving the popular live-streaming company.
In the three-part announcement of "great poignancy," Shear explained that he feels ready to move on from the now 16-year-old company. While he'll continue to work at Twitch in an advisory role, he plans to be an active part of his newborn son's life.
"With the arrival of my son, the time has come for me to focus my energies on building that tiny little startup family, and I'm ready to dedicate my energies there," Shear wrote. "Twitch will always remain a part of my extended family, a community where I grew in so many ways alongside Twitch itself.
Shear co-founded Twitch (then known as Justin.TV) in 2007 with Justin Kan, Kevin Lin, Kyle Vogt, and Michael Sebel. In the years since, Twitch has grown into a large live-streaming platform that's become an important part of the business strategy for several creative industries.
He became company CEO in 2011 and maintained that position when it was acquired by Amazon in 2014.
Stepping into the CEO role in Shear's absence will be Dan Clancy, effective immediately. Clancy's current position as Twitch's president has not yet been filled.
"For many years, I truly felt Twitch might die without my guidance and input, but I no longer feel that is true," Shear continued. "I think in fact it's exactly that growth which has allowed me to even consider that I might not work at Twitch."
"I'm incredibly grateful, not only to the amazing folks I get to work with at Twitch today, but to everyone who built it along the way. [...] Thank you, everyone, for your support, your critical thoughts, your trust, and your help. We built something great."
— Emmett Shear (@eshear) March 16, 2023