Twitch co-founder and former COO Kevin Lin is leaving the company. Lin announced his departure from the Amazon-owned livestreaming site on Thursday, saying he plans on spending more time with his family before ultimately looking to “build again” at a new tech venture.
“I hope to create something as remarkable as Twitch again, to build with amazing people who will challenge me, and to make the world we experience better,” Lin said in a Medium post announcing his decision.
He added: “Twitch is the living magic in my life. Twitch reminds me to care for my community near and far, and I hope that it does the same for you. No matter what’s going on in your life, Twitch will remind you that you can change the world as long as you have a community that you believe in and that believes in you. Together, we are powerful.”
Lin launched Twitch back in 2007 alongside current CEO Emmett Shear, Justin Kan, Michael Seibel and Kyle Vogt. Starting in 2008, he served as the company’s chief operating officer, a position he held for a decade before shifting to focus on big-picture themes like Twitch’s strategy and culture. Twitch now has more than 15 million daily active streamers, with many channels focused on gaming.
He continued with the company after Amazon acquired it in 2017 for $970 million.
Shear tweeted on Thursday that Twitch “does not exist” without Lin’s contributions. “I’ve learned how to be a better leader and a better friend because of him.”
In his goodbye note, Lin thanked a handful of people, including the Twitch community, Amazon, the gaming industry and his parents and friends. “To the Twitch community: I am forever in your debt,” Lin said. “Without you, Twitch does not exist. Thank you for the constant feedback and for pushing us to do right by you. You keep us honest. You are the reason we do this. Thank you for making Twitch, thank you for being Twitch, and, thank you for keeping Twitch Twitch.”
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