Gokul Rajaram
PINTERESTAbout Gokul Rajaram
Gokul Rajaram (age 50) has served on Pinterest’s board since 2020 and is currently an independent director and member of the Talent Development & Compensation Committee. He brings deep product and ads-tech experience from leadership roles at DoorDash (Corporate Development & Strategy, 2019–2024), Block/Square (2013–2019), Meta/Facebook (Ads Product Director), and Google (AdSense Product Management Director). He holds an MBA from MIT, an MS in Computer Science from the University of Texas, and a BS in Computer Science from IIT Kanpur; he also invests in and advises technology companies and is Co‑Founder and Partner of Marathon Management Partners (since Jan 2025) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| DoorDash, Inc. | Corporate Development & Strategy Lead | 2019–2024 | Led corporate strategy; late-stage leadership experience |
| Block, Inc. (Square) | Executive team; led product teams incl. Caviar | 2013–2019 | Ran product development teams; marketplace/commerce exposure |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. | Product Director of Ads | Prior to 2013 | Ads monetization/product expertise |
| Product Management Director, AdSense | Prior to Meta | Performance ads and platform scale expertise |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Committees | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trade Desk, Inc. | Director | Compensation; Audit | Ad-tech peer; relevant to Pinterest’s ads monetization oversight |
| Coinbase Global, Inc. | Director | Chair, Nominating & Governance; Compensation | Governance leadership; compensation oversight experience |
| Marathon Management Partners | Co‑Founder; Partner | — | Investing/advising technology companies (since Jan 2025) |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Talent Development & Compensation Committee member (Pinterest) .
- Independence: Board determined Rajaram independent under NYSE standards .
- Attendance: Board held 5 meetings in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of aggregate board and committee meetings .
- Board limits: Corporate governance guidelines cap public company board service at five; Rajaram is currently on three public boards (Pinterest, The Trade Desk, Coinbase), within limits .
| Governance Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Years of Service on PINS Board | Director since 2020 |
| Independence Status | Independent |
| PINS Committee(s) | Compensation Committee (member) |
| 2024 Attendance | ≥75% of board/committee meetings |
| Board Service Limit Policy | ≤5 public boards incl. Pinterest |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Fees Earned (Cash) | $60,000 | Comprises $50,000 annual retainer + $10,000 Compensation Committee member fee (policy) |
| 2024 Stock Awards (RSUs, grant-date fair value) | $259,995 | Standard annual director RSU grant; vests by next annual meeting or one year |
| 2024 Total | $319,995 | Cash + RSUs |
| Director Compensation Policy – Cash Retainer | $50,000 | Paid quarterly; pro-rated for partial year |
| Policy – Committee Member Fee (Compensation Committee) | $10,000 | Chair: $20,000; Member: $10,000 |
| Policy – Annual RSU Grant | $260,000 | Vests fully by first anniversary or prior to next annual meeting |
| Policy – Initial RSU Grant (new directors) | $400,000 | Vests in equal annual installments over 3 years |
Performance Compensation
Pinterest’s non‑employee director compensation is not performance‑based; annual RSU grants are time‑vested and accelerate upon change in control in accordance with policy. No bonus, options, PSUs, or performance metrics apply to director pay .
| Performance Metric | Applies to Rajaram (Director)? | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR | No | Directors receive time‑vested RSUs under policy; no performance conditions |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlock/Connection to Pinterest | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trade Desk, Inc. | Director (Comp; Audit) | Included in Pinterest’s 2024 compensation peer group | Potential benchmarking influence; not a formal “comp committee interlock” per proxy |
| Coinbase Global, Inc. | Director (Chair N&G; Comp) | Included in Pinterest’s 2024 compensation peer group | Governance/comp expertise; no formal interlock per proxy |
Note: Pinterest discloses “no compensation committee interlocks or insider participation” (committee members are not officers; no reciprocal comp committee overlaps with Pinterest executives) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technical/product: Ads platforms (Google AdSense, Meta), marketplace/commerce (Block/Square, Caviar), corporate strategy (DoorDash) .
- Board governance: Committee leadership at Coinbase; compensation and audit committee service at The Trade Desk .
- Education: MBA (MIT), MS Computer Science (UT Austin), BS Computer Science (IIT Kanpur) .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Class A Shares Beneficially Owned | 31,893 | Includes 3,957 held via Rajaram Family Revocable Trust; and 6,274 RSUs vesting within 60 days |
| Unvested RSUs Outstanding (12/31/2024) | 6,274 | Director RSUs outstanding at year-end |
| % of Class A Outstanding | ~0.005% | 31,893 / 593,725,910 Class A shares outstanding at record date |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited (unless approved) | Insider Trading Policy bans hedging/pledging transactions |
| Director Ownership Guidelines | ≥5× annual cash retainer | Compliance: all non‑employee directors have met or are on track |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and independence: Rajaram is independent, attends meetings at or above required thresholds, and contributes relevant ads-tech and product experience to compensation oversight during Pinterest’s pivot to more performance marketing and AI‑driven ad products .
- Compensation oversight: As a member of the Compensation Committee, he participates in director pay reviews with an independent consultant; committee responsibilities include executive comp, equity plans, clawback policy oversight, and talent development .
- Alignment and safeguards: Director RSUs, stock ownership guidelines (≥5× retainer), anti‑hedging/pledging policies, and absence of related‑party transactions involving Rajaram support shareholder alignment .
- Interlocks/signal watch items: Service on boards (and comp committees) of The Trade Desk and Coinbase—both in Pinterest’s compensation peer group—could shape market-informed perspectives; proxy explicitly states no compensation committee interlocks with Pinterest executives. Monitor benchmarking objectivity, but no disclosed conflicts or related‑party transactions tied to Rajaram .
Red flags: None disclosed specific to Rajaram. No late Section 16 filings noted for him; delinquent reports involved other individuals (Madrigal, Bergh, Silbermann) due to administrative errors . No related‑party transactions involving Rajaram in 2024 .