The latest from the frontlines of the world’s fastest growing companies and the teams doing the work. 

Meet The Team

This week, Warren Buffett named his successor, Apple lured an ex-Google exec to lead AI research, and eBay found its first Chief Business & Strategy Officer.

top 10 exec moves by Jenny Nilsson

The 10 Most Important Executive Moves This Week

PepsiCo has picked C.D. Glin to serve as its new VP and Global Head of Philanthropy for The PepsiCo Foundation, effective May 17, 2021.

C.D. Glin, PepsiCo Vice President, Global Head of Philanthropy

PepsiCo Selects a New Global Head of Philanthropy

The Walt Disney Company and Craig Hunegs, the President of Entertainment for Walt Disney Television, have decided to part ways and the end of the month.

Craig Hunegs

The President of Entertainment for Disney’s TV Unit Departs

NFTs first caught the general public's attention after artist Mike Winkelmann sold his digital artwork as an NFT for $69.3M on Christie's. Since then, many artists, musicians and even sports franchises have jumped on board, digitizing their goods and selling them for a profit. Virtual worlds that are built off the blockchain are also gaining more attention. The Org talked to two companies building a metaverse, to learn more about how it operates.

Virtual worlds powered by the Ethereum blockchain are expanding alongside the NFT boom

NFT virital world

Entering the Blockchain Metaverse Where NFTs Meet Virtual Worlds

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Board of Directors has unanimously selected the brewing giant’s next CEO, Michel Doukeris, who will succeed Carlos Brito on July 1, 2021.

Michel Doukeris. Image credit: Anheuser-Busch InBev

Michel Doukeris

AB InBev Names New CEO of The World’s Largest Brewer

eBay has appointed Stefanie (Stef) Jay as its Chief Business and Strategy Officer.

Stefanie (Stef) Jay

eBay Finds its First Chief Business & Strategy Officer

Philip Morris International has made a significant change at the top of its leadership structure as Jacek Olczak has become its new CEO following the company’s 2021 Annual Shareholders Meeting.

Jacek Olczak. Image credit: Philip Morris International

Jacek Olczak

Philip Morris Gains a New CEO Amid Smoke-Free Transition

A lot of effort has gone into establishing a conducive environment for the venture capital (VC) industry to thrive in South Africa, and there is growing international interest in deploying capital towards early and late-stage investments in Africa. 

Editorial credit: Hue Chee Kong / Shutterstock.com

Cape Town, South Africa (aerial view from a helicopter)

Key Ingredients Needed to Bolster Venture Capital in South Africa 

CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped the bomb in April that teams at Facebook have been building out new audio projects, like podcasts, on the down-low for months now. Take a look at Facebook's org chart to see who's been working on these secretive new projects and where Facebook is taking audio in the future. 

Mark Zuckerberg, Founder & CEO of Facebook.
Editorial credit: Frederic Legrand - COMEO / Shutterstock.com

Mark Zuckerburg

The Team Behind Facebook’s New Audio Product Suite

The pandemic has forced people worldwide to adopt new habits around food, from grocery shopping to cooking to eating. The Org looked into the French foodtech landscape to see which startups have gained traction over the past few years -- reaching millions in revenues or users -- and for whom the pandemic might have been a blessing in disguise.



An open restaurant in Paris last summer. Credit: Pénélope Romand-Monnier

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How French People Dine in a Post-COVID Era

These are the most notable hires, promotions, and departures within the US tech community in the last week. For executive news updated daily, check out The Org's People on the Move.

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The Biggest Moves in Tech This Week

Merida will become the third person of color to lead the L.A. Times, which has grown to be the largest news organization in the West with a nearly 500-person newsroom. He will be the 19th editor to take the helm since the paper’s inception in December 1881. 

Kevin Merida will be the 19th editor to lead the Los Angeles Times since 1881. Image Credit: Teresa Kroeger / Getty Images. 

Kevin Merida

ESPN’s Kevin Merida to Lead as Top Editor at Los Angeles Times

Warren Buffett has broken his silence on who will lead Berkshire Hathaway after Buffett's tenure. It's the first time the American billionaire has ever publicly mentioned a successor, despite years of speculation. 

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, after an annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska in 2015. Buffett has never publicly mentioned stepping down from his role. Editorial credit: Kent Sievers / Shutterstock.com

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett Name Drops A Successor 

Some of the biggest names in tech have come out of YC: Airbnb, DoorDash, GitLab, and Reddit to name a few. But these startups have also created thousands of jobs and have disrupted entire markets once they get in the game. Take a look at the org charts and origin stories for the top companies to come out of Mountain View.

Airbnb founder and CEO Brian Chesky at a conference in 2016. Airbnb was part of YC's W09 batch. Courtesy of Airbnb. 

Brian Chesky 

The Teams Behind the Top Seven Companies to Come Out of Y Combinator 

Bengio, who has been with Google for over 14 years, resigned from the tech giant last week after the company fired two of its top AI researchers, Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell over claims of discrimination and racism that sparked industry-wide outrage. He will now be joining Apple as head of the new AI research unit.

Apple hires former Google executive, Samy Bengio. Image Source: Vytautas Kielaitis, Shutterstock.

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Former Google Executive Joins Apple as Head of New AI Research Unit

The Coca-Cola Company has named Saadia Madsbjerg as its VP of Global Community Affairs and President of The Coca-Cola Foundation.

Saadia Madsbjerg. Image courtesy of Coca-Cola, Business Wire

Saadia Madsbjerg

Coca-Cola Selects New Foundation President

Max Hodak, Co-founder of Neuralink, tweeted that he has stepped down from his position as President of the company on Saturday. 

Max Hodak, President of Neuralink, Steps Down. Image Source: Rafapress, Shutterstock.

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President and Co-founder of Elon Musk’s Neuralink Steps Down

Paul Richardson has been named as The Walt Disney Company’s new Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, effective July 1.

Paul Richardson. Image credit: The Walt Disney Company

Paul Richardson

Disney Will Have a New HR Chief This Summer

Jason Fried, Basecamp's co-founder and CEO, released a controversial memo on Monday, banning employees from engaging in conversations about politics at work. This announcement sent shockwaves through social media and Silicon Valley. Many former and current employees, including high profile figures within the company, took to Twitter to voice their concerns. 


Basecamp employees can no longer engage in conversations about politics at work. Image credit: Studiostoks, Shutterstock.

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Why Basecamp Banned Talking Politics at Work

Chew first joined ByteDance in March as its first-ever CFO. His hire signaled the Beijing-based company is gearing up for an IPO. 

Editorial credit: XanderSt / Shutterstock.com