Chad Dickerson spoke at length with BuzzFeed about Etsy allowing vendors to use outside production, why New York’s tech industry is alive and well and why he loves HBO’s Silicon Valley .
Etsy
Etsy has built a massive business in the trafficking of whimsy — growing into a one billion dollar-plus business since 2005. The online marketplace is now home to a million sellers, peddling a staggering array of items, from superhero capes for small children to Carolina Pine office tables to oversized Scrabble tiles for decorating your place with words like "HOME" (nine points.)
The company's headquarters in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn — at least for the time being until they move to a bigger spot nearby — is as charming as the website's locally-made merchandise. Dark green foliage lines the entryway, making the path to reception feel somewhat magical. The name-tags include two spaces: one for your name, and another for something you love. Corgis roam free. And the conference rooms are labeled with food puns on musician names: A Tribe Called Queso, Modest Mousse, Jay Ziti and Brieoncé, to name a few.
Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson has overseen radical changes in the company since he took the job in mid-2011. The company generated $1.35 billion in transactions last year, up from $895 million the prior year. Its website now has 40 million members, from just shy of 10 million three years ago. It has raised $91 million in funding from investors including Accel Partners, Index Ventures and Union Square Ventures.
Most importantly, Dickerson, 42, has been charged with maintaining Etsy's integrity as a marketplace for handmade goods while working to grow the company and keep its most successful sellers on the site. Etsy's decision to allow vendors to use outside manufacturers last fall was met with some confusion and anger in the DIY community, as was the introduction of Etsy Wholesale, which will be out of beta in August. Dickerson, who started his career at the Raleigh News & Observer and other media outlets before heading to Yahoo, discussed those changes, how they were represented in the media and shared his thoughts on e-commerce, New York City's tech scene and the show Silicon Valley.
Sapna Maheshwari/BuzzFeed
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