TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot to step down at end of August
Stacy Brown-Philpot speaks on stage during SXSW 2018.
Dave Pedley / Getty Images for SXSW
Stacy Brown-Philpot, CEO of TaskRabbit, is stepping down as head of the platform that connects artisans, movers, and other gig employees to people who have a job that they would rather pay someone else to do. Brown-Philpot announced the move in an interview published on Tuesday with the New York Times.
Brown-Philpot, one of the few black women in a leadership role in the technology industry, told The Times that she had been planning her departure “for months” but had not yet decided on her next role.
“We have been planning this for months, and even now we are facing a recession, a pandemic, and a social justice movement at the same time,” she told The Times.
Brown-Philpot was appointed CEO of TaskRabbit in 2016, and was managing the company at that time acquired from Ikea. She is also a member of the board of directors of HP, Nordstrom and Black Girls Code.
“Under her leadership, TaskRabbit has grown into a successful global company that is well positioned for continued year-over-year growth,” said a TaskRabbit spokeswoman on Tuesday, adding that Brown-Philpot will leave the company on August 31st During his tenure, TaskRabbit was expanded to thousands of cities in the United States, Canada and Europe. “
Brown-Philpot also talked to the Times about it recent protests about racial inequality, saying Silicon Valley needs to do more to promote diversity.
“There has been so much momentum in creating gender equality in technology,” she said. “We still have a long way to go with minorities. We still have a long way to go to ensure that more blacks are represented in technology.”
In recent years, Silicon Valley has been the focus of diversity. A study from 2018 showed Only 2 percent of women work in the technical field in Silicon Valley are Black, Hispanic, Native American or Native Alaskan. Tech companies have used money and resources to change their demographics, however Progress remains slow.
