Just three months after its public debut, Kenneth Stanley, the co-founder of the social media platform Maven, has announced his departure from the company.
Stanley, a former researcher at OpenAI, had initially launched Maven with the vision of fostering serendipitous interactions online. However, the platform has struggled to achieve the rapid growth anticipated by its investors, prompting Stanley and co-founder Blas Moros to seek new opportunities.
Stanley, who shared the news via Maven and X, cited the platform’s inability to meet investor expectations as a primary reason for his decision to step down.
“Despite the enthusiastic response we received at launch, Maven has not been able to deliver the growth curve investors were hoping for,” Stanley said. “There seems to be a missing ingredient that we have yet to identify.”
In a phone interview with TechCrunch, Stanley elaborated on the strategic shift. “Our decision to step away is about becoming more efficient and extending Maven’s runway,” he explained.
“While I would have preferred to secure additional funding and continue in my role, this approach allows us to keep Maven alive and give it another chance.”
Stanley’s departure comes at a critical juncture for Maven. According to Jimmy Secretan, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Maven has a few months of operational runway left.
Secretan, who has been instrumental in developing the app, will remain with the company to drive future innovations and maintain its core philosophy.
The platform, which had its soft launch in January and went public in May, received backing from notable figures such as Twitter co-founder Ev Williams and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
These tech luminaries contributed to Maven’s $2 million seed round in 2023, driven by their belief in Maven’s mission to promote serendipity over conventional social media metrics like likes and retweets.
Maven’s unique approach—eschewing traditional engagement features in favor of fostering deep, meaningful conversations—has been both its strength and its challenge.
“Maven excels at facilitating in-depth discussions on a range of topics, but these conversations often lack the viral appeal needed for rapid growth,” Secretan told TechCrunch.
The company’s strategy of avoiding common social media elements like upvotes and follows was intended to create a more genuine interaction space.
However, this design has posed difficulties in attracting and retaining a large user base.
“While our approach promotes valuable conversations, it also makes it harder to achieve the kind of viral growth that’s crucial for scaling,” Secretan acknowledged.
In response to these challenges, Maven plans to bring on product design assistance on a contract basis to help refine its approach while trying to attract more users.
“We are committed to preserving our unique focus on meaningful content without resorting to mainstream methods of amplification,” Secretan said. “We believe there’s a way to balance deep, engaging content with user growth.”
Additionally, Maven has ventured into new territory with a spinoff app called Ryff. This app utilizes generative AI art to enhance user experience and encourage exploration of new interests.
“Ryff represents an exciting extension of Maven’s mission, integrating AI to help users engage with their passions in innovative ways,” Secretan noted.
As for Kenneth Stanley, he is looking forward to new ventures and has expressed a renewed interest in AI research. Stanley hinted at exploring opportunities related to “open-endedness,” a concept in AI that focuses on creating algorithms capable of continually evolving and solving new problems.
This research direction contrasts with traditional optimization approaches, which are more outcome-focused.
“I’m excited to delve back into AI, particularly in areas that emphasize creativity and constant invention,” Stanley revealed.
“I see a lot of potential in exploring how AI can be designed to tackle new and undefined tasks.”
Despite the setbacks, Stanley remains optimistic about Maven’s potential impact. “The internet needs platforms like Maven that offer a break from the usual popularity-driven dynamics and foster true serendipity,” he concluded.
“I hope the platform continues to grow and provide value to its users.”
