Instacart president Carolyn Everson said Friday she will step down at the end of the year, just three months after she joined the grocery delivery service company, CNBC reported. This comes after Seth Dallaire, head of advertising at Instacart, left the company for Walmart in October.
According to CNBC, Carolyn Everson spent more than 10 years at Facebook as its ads chief. She was seen as one of the most prominent women behind Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, but left the company after Marne Levine – not Everson – was promoted to chief business officer last summer.
The decision to leave Instacart appears to be a mutual one between Carolyn Everson and the company. CNBC reported that Carolyn Everson posted on Facebook that, as her 50th birthday approaches, she will take time off before deciding on her next step.
The ability to quit a job, and then take time off to figure out what to do next, is a privilege. My best guess is that most Instacart drivers are not paid enough to be able to take time off in the way that Carolyn Everson can. The Wall Street Journal reported she had only been at Instacart for four months.
Instacart told The Wall Street Journal that they wouldn’t replace Ms. Everson at this time, and declined to comment further.
Ms. Simo wrote Friday that the company’s current leadership team can take on more roles, and that there was a “mismatch” between Instacart’s priorities and what Ms. Everson was looking for. Ms. Simo wrote that Ms. Everson’s departure gives the company an opportunity to make organizational changes that will put it in a better position.
It is unclear what Instacart will do next. Personally, I think the company should focus on how Instacart can help people who have disabilities to get groceries. We are still in a pandemic, and it can be very risky for people who are immune-compromised to shop in person (where some people aren’t wearing masks). Instacart needs to continue service as it has been – and without an increase in price.