Current Position: Interim CEO of OpenAI, appointed by the board on November 19, 2023.
Predecessor: Took over the role following the ousting of former CEO Sam Altman two days earlier.
Career at Twitch: Previously served as the chief executive officer of Twitch, a position held until March 2023. Twitch originated as a live video platform known as Justin.tv.
Entrepreneurship and Investment: Recognized as an American internet entrepreneur and investor.
Venture Capital Involvement: Served as a part-time partner at the venture capital firm Y Combinator.
Early Life and Education of Emmett Shear:
Hometown: Emmett Shear was raised in Seattle.
Educational Background: He attended the Evergreen School for Gifted Children in Seattle.
Connection with Co-founder: At the age of 8, he met his future co-founder, Justin Kan, at the Evergreen School. They formed a bond through accelerated math classes and shared interests, including playing Magic: The Gathering.
Academic Journey: Emmett Shear pursued his higher education at Yale University.
Co-founders at Yale: At Yale, he studied alongside his eventual co-founder, Justin Kan, and another co-founder, Michael Siebel.
Degree Earned: In 2005, Emmett Shear earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in computer science from Yale University.
Career Highlights of Emmett Shear:
Y Combinator:
In 2005, Shear and Kan applied to the first class of Y Combinator.
Developed a calendar application called Kiko, later sold on eBay for $250,000 after Google Calendar was introduced.
Justin.tv:
In 2006, along with Kan, Seibel, and Vogt, started Justin.tv, a 24/7 live video feed of Kan’s life.
Transitioned to providing a live video platform, launching Justin.tv in 2007.
Became one of the largest live video platforms globally with over 30 million unique users monthly.
Shear became CEO on August 29, 2011.
Twitch:
Justin.tv spun off gaming content as TwitchTV in June 2011.
Twitch officially launched on June 6, 2011, and became immensely popular.
Amazon acquired Twitch for $970 million on August 25, 2014.
Resignation from Twitch:
Shear resigned as CEO of Twitch in March 2023, with Daniel J. Clancy taking over.
Investor Activities:
Shear became a part-time partner at Y Combinator in June 2011, advising new startups.
OpenAI:
On November 19, 2023, Shear was appointed as the interim CEO of OpenAI, succeeding Sam Altman.
