Character.AI Appoints YouTube Veteran as Chief Product Officer
Leadership Shakeup Follows Google Licensing Deal
Character.AI is undergoing significant transformation after its $2.7 billion licensing agreement with Google, which saw CEO Noam Shazeer return to the search giant. The AI startup has now recruited Erin Teague, former YouTube global head of sports, movies, and shows product management, as its new Chief Product Officer.
Key Highlights:
- New CPO Appointment: Erin Teague brings extensive Google experience since 2016
- Leadership Transition: Follows departure of co-founders to Google
- Strategic Focus: Consumer AI solutions over artificial general intelligence
About the New CPO
Teague, who joins Character.AI next week, previously served as technical adviser to Google’s SVP for Search, Ads, Maps, Gemini, Assistant, Shopping, and Payments. In her statement, she emphasized:
“Character.AI is setting a new bar for how everyday users interact with AI, pioneering personalized and engaging AI experiences at scale. I look forward to building on this one-of-a-kind platform to innovate and design new features that entertain and delight.”
Company Restructuring and Future Plans
After losing co-founders and 30 researchers to Google, Character.AI now operates with about 100 employees focused on:
- Engineering
- Product development
- Post-training and model tuning
Interim CEO Dominic Perella revealed the company will:
- Continue executive searches (including permanent CEO)
- Maintain complete employee ownership (no VC shareholders)
- Pursue new funding in 2025 for governance and partnerships
Platform Growth and Innovation
Character.AI has demonstrated impressive traction:
- 20+ million monthly users (100% YoY growth)
- 100+ million characters created
- 107 million AI calls made since June 2024 launch (40% user participation)
Current Focus Areas:
- Expanding interaction modalities beyond text/voice
- Enhancing $9.99/month c.ai+ subscription service
- Exploring B2B partnership opportunities
Perella shared the company’s vision:
“The next big consumer platform will be about personalizing your interests in ways algorithmic feeds couldn’t achieve.”
While prioritizing growth over immediate revenue, Character.AI appears poised for significant evolution under its new leadership and strategic direction.
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