Twitch CEO Emmett Shear resigns after 16 years at the helm

Emmett Shear, the CEO of the popular streaming platform Twitch, has announced his resignation from the company. The news came via a Twitter thread where Shear reflected on his journey at Twitch over the past 16 years. He compared the growth of Twitch, from a 24/7 reality show to a site where millions of people can watch gamers broadcasting their gameplay, to raising a child. Shear said, "Twitch often feels to me like a child I've been raising as well," and added that he believed the company was ready to venture out on its own.

Dan Clancy, the current president of Twitch, will now take over as CEO effective immediately. Shear will continue to work at Twitch in an advisory role. Shear founded Twitch in October 2006 as Justin.tv, a 24/7 reality show that documented the life of co-founder Justin Kan. However, Shear decided that a constant focus on one person was not the best idea, so in 2013, Justin.tv became Twitch, where gamers could broadcast their gameplay to millions of viewers.

Over the years, Twitch has grown significantly and is now owned by Amazon. It has had its share of controversies, including a deepfake scandal, but remains a popular platform that attracts millions of users daily. Twitch is known for popularizing games such as Fortnite and turning gamers like Ninja and Pokimane into stars.

Shear's departure marks the end of an era at Twitch, and the company will undoubtedly face new challenges as it moves forward with Clancy at the helm. However, Shear's impact on the platform and the gaming community cannot be underestimated.