eBay signs on former Apple exec as new chief product officer
Apple has signed on a number of new high-profile executives (notably from the fashion world) to direct its product and retail units, but that inevitably means there are going to be some departures as well.
And Apple's loss appears to be eBay's gain this week as the online retail giant has named RJ Pittman to a newly created position for the company: chief product officer.
Pittman previously ran the Worldwide E-Commerce Platform at Apple. Along with being responsible for product management and commerce innovation, he was also tasked with integrating and expanding Apple's retail channels internationally.
During his tenure, he was said to have been responsible for expanding Apple's retail presence across 38 countries.
Prior to his stint in Cupertino, Pittman led Google's product management group, focusing primarily on consumer search and other product initiatives. He jumped ship from Mountain View in 2010.
Pittman was also CEO of two online commerce companies, Groxis Inc. and Digital Courier Technologies, and served as a a managing partner at venture capital firm Venture Factory.
Heading into eBay, Pittman will be primarily responsible for leading product and development strategy for eBay's core unit, Marketplaces, reporting to eBay President Devin Wenig.
Based on eBay's third quarter earnings report published on Wednesday, Pittman isn't necessarily hitting the ground running.
The Marketplaces department alone attracted 3.9 million more users during the quarter as well as $2 billion in revenue. eBay Marketplaces now has 124 million members, up 14 percent year-over-year.