Key Details:
- On August 7, Zillow Group announced Jeremy Wacksman as its new CEO.
- Co-founder and former CEO Rich Barton will remain on the company’s Board of Directors.
Today, Zillow Group announced the promotion of Jeremy Wacksman to Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Wacksman, who acted as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the past three years, has been an integral part of Zillow since 2009. In addition to his new role, Wacksman will also join the company’s Board of Directors.
Rich Barton, Zillow’s co-founder and former CEO, will remain actively involved as co-executive chair alongside fellow co-founder and current executive chair, Lloyd Frink.
15 Years with Zillow
Wacksman’s journey with Zillow began after his tenure at Microsoft. Over the past 15 years, he has climbed the ranks, holding pivotal roles such as product leader, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
“Zillow’s business is firing on all cylinders and performing well through a challenging real estate macro. We’ve built and integrated products, completed strategic acquisitions, enhanced our agent partner network, and leaned in hard on our Mortgages and Rentals businesses. This is due in no small part to the leadership of Jeremy Wacksman, with the past three years being a time of particularly impressive innovation for the company. Lloyd and I could not be more confident in Jeremy as CEO, in the caliber of the broader team and in Zillow’s bright future.”
Innovating the Real Estate Landscape
Wacksman’s tenure at Zillow has been marked by impressive milestones.
As a product leader, he contributed to Zillow’s apps becoming the most used in the industry (three times more than any competitor).
As CMO, he helped transform Zillow into a household name. As the number one real estate portal, it has more than 231 million average monthly users, with “Zillow” more frequently searched than “real estate.”
In his most recent role as COO, Wacksman:
- Operationalized Zillow’s super app strategy
- Grew Zillow’s rental and mortgage businesses
- Acquired industry solutions including Follow Up Boss and ShowingTime+
So, where does the new CEO want to take Zillow next? In a prepared statement, Wacksman said:
“With the strength of Zillow’s brand, our highly engaged audience and a steadily growing business portfolio, we are in a great position to capture meaningful transaction share for years to come. The work we’re doing to bring the integrated transaction to life through exceptional tech solutions for consumers and agents will transform residential real estate. I love this company and its mission, and I am honored to lead our extraordinary team into the next phase of Zillow’s growth.”
