Strava co-founder and CEO Michael Horvath resigns
The hunt is on for a new CEO at the global sports tracking app
Strava, one of the best cycling tracking apps, is on the hunt for a new CEO after Michael Horvath, the current CEO announced his resignation. In a letter posted to Strava’s press site, Horvath, who co-founded the company in 2009, said that a search is underway for his successor.
Strava has recently faced a user backlash and a chorus of criticism after confusing price rises were quietly announced to their subscribers in January, the brand then issued a public apology for the confusing hike in costs. At around the same time, they also laid off around fifteen percent of their workforce and although the resignation is not known to be connected, it could be seen as more negative press for the platform.
This will not be the first time that Horvath has resigned as CEO of Strava. In 2013, four years after he co-founded the company, he stepped down to spend more time with his wife, who was battling cancer. He returned as CEO six years later.
Horvath wrote "As co-founder and CEO of Strava, it’s only part of my job to ensure we are picking the right path to that destination. The other part of it is to ensure we always recruit and support the right leaders for the right times. I have decided that Strava needs a CEO with the experience and skills to help us make the most of this next chapter.”
Not all recent news has been bad with Strava seeing incredible growth in the past three years, becoming one of the best apps for mountain bikers and cyclists around the world, and they announced over 100 million users had joined the platform over the past few years.
Strava recently rolled out a host of new features, including 3D mapping, a new off-road interface to support high-growth trail sports like gravel cycling, and video uploading. Strava has also acquired Fatmap, a global mapping app, and is seen as an attempt by the brand to become the Google Maps of the outdoor world.
Paul Brett joined BikePerfect as a staff writer in 2022. He has been an avid cyclist for as long as he can remember, initially catching the mountain biking bug in the 1990s, and he raced mountain bikes for over a decade before injury cut short a glittering career. An award-winning photographer, when not riding a bike, he can be found at the side of a cyclocross track or a downhill mountain bike world championship shooting the action. Paul was the founder, editor and writer of Proper Cycling magazine, and he's traveled the world interviewing some of the biggest names in mountain biking and writing about some of the biggest cycling brands.
Current rides: Canyon Inflite, Specialized Diverge, Marin Alpine Trail 2