Strava seeks social, ecommerce features by hiring YouTube vet as new CEO

Strava has finally ended the year-long search for its new CEO. The fitness tracking app has hired Michael Martin, whose experience includes ecommerce-adjacent stints at YouTube and Nike.

Martin comes to Strava after spending less than two years at YouTube, where he served as the GM and VP of Shopping. He will bring a new identity to a company that has been closely linked to its Co-Founders since its 2009 launch. Michael Horvath served as CEO until 2013 and again from 2019 on. He announced in early 2023 that he would depart that role again so that Strava could hire “a CEO with the experience and skills to help us make the most of this next chapter.”

Horvath’s fellow Co-Founder, Mark Gainey, was Strava CEO from 2013 to 2017. The only time before now that someone other than a Co-Founder has led the company came between 2017 and 2019, when Instagram exec James Quarles assumed the top job

A former Nike exec is a logical choice for a fitness app’s CEO, but Martin’s experience at YouTube will also apply to his Strava gig. As GM and VP of YouTube Shopping, he led a team that helped bring creator stores to more than 100,000 channels. Strava could build its own suite of ecommerce features if it wants to extract more revenue out of its current user base. Some Strava users have balked at the inconsistencies that have plagued the app’s paid subscription tier. Avenues like affiliate marketing and social shopping could enable new monetization for the growing community of Strava creators.

Martin is also well-equipped to lead Strava as it develops more social features. Shortly before announcing its new CEO, the app unveiled a messaging feature that can be described as Instagram DMs for active people. More social tools are likely on the way, so there’s no way to sugarcoat it: Your runner friends are about to become even more annoying.