CEO / Softmax
Emmett Shear is an American Internet entrepreneur and investor, best known as the co-founder of the live video platform Justin.tv, which later evolved into Twitch. He served as the CEO of Twitch from 2011 to 2023, overseeing its growth into the world's leading video platform for gamers before its acquisition by Amazon. Currently, he is the CEO of Softmax, an applied developmental cybernetics research company, and has also served as the interim CEO of OpenAI.
Twitter119.7K
LinkedIn5.6KCEO
Visiting Group Partner
CEO
Angel Investor
Part-time Partner
Founder
Founder
BS
Core technical and professional competencies developed through founding and leading major technology platforms.
A factual summary of Emmett Shear's career, focusing on his executive roles at Twitch, Softmax, and OpenAI.
He is currently the CEO of Softmax, an applied developmental cybernetics research company, a position he has held since February 2024.
Yes, he briefly served as the interim CEO of OpenAI in November 2023, following the initial removal of Sam Altman.
He has held multiple roles at Y Combinator, including Partner (2011-2016) and a Managing Director role (2023-2025).
Justin.tv, the live video platform he co-founded, evolved into Twitch and was acquired by Amazon in 2014.
Artificial Intelligence, Applied Cybernetics, Live Video Streaming, Gaming, Internet Infrastructure
Venture Capital, Startup Ecosystem, Media & Entertainment
Visionary, Entrepreneurial, Technical Founder, Strategic Leader, Investor
Future of AI, Platform Scaling, Technology Development, Product-Centric
Male 65.7%, Female 34.3%
25-34 (64.5%), 35-54 (17.8%), 18-24 (12.4%)
US (13.1%), BR (11.7%), IR (8.6%), IN (7.0%)
Tehran (2.7%), Baghdad (2.2%), New York (1.5%)
119.7K followers
