Waze CEO Noam Bardin to Step Down in 2021

Noam Bardin, the Chief Executive Officer of Waze, who has been with the company for almost 12 years and guided it through its acquisition by Google, ultimately establishing it as a widely-used, crowdsourced navigation application, will be departing in the early months of the coming year.

Mr. Bardin had initially intended to announce his departure last spring; however, he postponed those plans due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization is currently initiating a search for a successor to fill the CEO position. Bardin stated he will remain with the company until January 2021 to facilitate the selection process and ensure a smooth transition.

“After more than 11 years, I believe the time is right for me to pursue new opportunities,” Bardin shared with TechCrunch during a conversation on Tuesday, also mentioning he has not yet determined what those opportunities might be. “It’s also the appropriate time to welcome a leader who is better positioned to guide the company through its next phase of expansion.”

While Bardin was not the original founder of the company – that distinction belongs to Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, and Uri Levine, who launched Waze in Israel in 2008 – he has been instrumental in its substantial growth and development. He helped transform it into a globally recognized, community-driven social network and navigation tool utilized by millions.

When Bardin joined Waze, the platform had a user base of approximately 14,000 individuals. Currently, Waze boasts 140 million active monthly users who collectively travel over 24 billion miles (40 billion kilometers) each month. He has been responsible for the introduction of numerous programs and features, including the Waze for Cities initiative, which provides free, anonymized data to 1,600 cities worldwide, alongside its advertising platform and a carpooling service connecting riders and drivers, currently available in four countries.

“A defining aspect of Waze’s purpose is that it resonates with everyone: no one enjoys being stuck in traffic,” Bardin explained. “Unlike many disruptive companies that create winners and losers, Waze doesn’t operate that way.”

A particularly significant aspect of his leadership was navigating Waze through its acquisition by Google in 2013. Bardin pointed out that many predicted Waze would struggle and ultimately fail under Google’s ownership within a year. However, it thrived because Google permitted Waze to maintain its independence and nurture its open user community, even as it became integrated with Google Maps, he added.

“This success is a reflection of Google’s willingness to grant us that flexibility and autonomy,” he commented.

In a message posted on Waze’s community forum, Bardin underscored that the company continues to have the full backing of Google and will remain a distinct brand and service.

“Our plans for 2021 and our overall vision remain unchanged. We are also making substantial investments in our infrastructure and tools to ensure that, with your ongoing support, we can continue to enhance our service and ‘Outsmart traffic, Together.’ Most importantly, our community remains at the heart of Waze – you are the reason Waze exists, and that will not change,” he stated.

The next stage involves sustaining this independence while expanding the user base to reach 1 billion active users, Bardin indicated.

“We require a leader with a proven track record of managing a rapidly growing technology company focused on consumers, but also someone experienced in implementing innovative strategies within a large organization – a combination of skills that is relatively uncommon.”