Kieran Snyder, co-founder and CEO of Seattle-based augmented writing startup Textio, has stepped down as CEO, the company announced Wednesday.
Jensen Harris, co-founder and previously chief experience officer — and Snyder’s husband — is now CEO.
Snyder will retain her board seat and is taking a new role as chief scientist emeritus.
In a statement, Snyder said she recently reflected on whether she was the right CEO “to take Textio into this next wave.”
“Textio is my company, and its impact and success are deeply personal for me,” she said. “If I’m being honest, nine years in, I need some time to recharge. Textio’s success is much too important to me to show up with only part of the energy required to effectively lead.”
She added: “Through it all, Jensen has been my top partner at Textio and in life. I can imagine no better CEO for the next chapter of Textio’s journey.”
Snyder, who has a PhD in linguistics and was named the CEO of the Year at the 2021 GeekWire Awards, shared more about her decision in a blog post.
Founded in 2014, Textio uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help remove bias from workplace language — in job postings or performance evaluations, for example. Customers include Bloomberg, Cisco, Hulu, Oracle, Spotify, and Warner Music Group.
Textio recently released Textio Lift, which helps managers write feedback and avoid bias while providing reports to leadership. It’s the company’s fastest growing product to date.
“This product transforms the way managers and employees communicate, along the way creating fairer and more effective organizations,” Harris said in a statement. “The year ahead will be laser-focused on taking Textio Lift to the next level.”
Harris previously spent 16 years at Microsoft, leading the creation of some of the most widely used productivity software, including Microsoft Office’s Ribbon user interface, the email user interface of Microsoft Outlook and the touch user interface built for Microsoft Surface. He also has a music degree from Yale.
“Bringing Textio to every manager, every employee, every organization — this is the journey we are on,” Harris wrote in a thread on X.
Textio has raised $42.5 million from investors including Industry Ventures; Operator Collective; Emergence Capital; Scale Venture Partners; Cowboy Ventures; Bloomberg Beta; and Upside Partnership.
The company went through a small round of layoffs as part of a broad team reorg in March. It employs about 100 people.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Snyder wrote in the blog post. “But in a landscape where most startups don’t make it, Textio has built something of lasting value. Nine years in, our software has created opportunities and changed lives.”
