Etsy has named Rafe Colburn as chief technology officer, effective May 5, out of Etsy’s Brooklyn headquarters. The appointment marks a return for Colburn, who was previously at the company for a decade, leaving Etsy as vice president of engineering in 2021.
Currently, Colburn serves as chief technology and product officer at Depop, where he began in 2021, shortly after Etsy acquired the company. At Depop, Colburn brought his experience in technology leadership, successfully scaling the technology team to support growth and transform the customer experience from its previous iteration to become more app-based and discover-centric.
During his first decade at Etsy, Colburn led engineering teams through growth and transformational periods across areas including ads, marketing technology, experience, trust and safety, localization and translation, and customer support.
As chief technology officer, Colburn will report to Etsy’s chief executive officer, Josh Silverman, who applauded Rafe in a statement for his proven “technical strategy that enables us to scale our impact and connect more buyers with our global community of sellers” at both Etsy and Depop.
“The magic of Etsy lies in our ability to leverage technology to forge meaningful human connections,” Silverman said. “[Rafe] has a clear vision for creating shopping experiences that are highly differentiated, personalized and relevant. I am thrilled to officially welcome Rafe to Etsy’s executive leadership team as we work to reignite growth and solidify Etsy as the starting point for special.”
Colburn added that he is “honored to take on this role and work alongside Etsy’s talented team. The technology landscape is particularly dynamic right now; AI is maturing at a rapid pace, presenting an incredible opportunity for us to transform the shopping experience, engage with buyers in more meaningful ways, and create more economic opportunities for our sellers.”
Additional executive changes at the company include the appointment of Peter Semple as interim CEO of Depop, also effective May 5. Notably, this appointment comes through as Depop’s current CEO, Kruti Patel Goyal, transitions into the role of president and chief growth officer at Etsy.
