Chris Hyams has officially stepped down as CEO of Indeed after nearly 15 years of leading the world’s largest job platform. In a heartfelt letter to the team, Hyams reflects on his journey from VP of Product to CEO, overseeing Indeed’s exponential growth to over 300 million monthly users and 75 million hires. Effective immediately, former CEO Deko returns to lead the company. Hyams will remain on as a Board advisor through 2025 and plans to focus on broader issues such as Responsible AI, disinformation, and tech-humanity alignment. His departure comes just ahead of the launch of Indeed’s agentic AI platform, marking a new chapter in the company’s mission to help people get jobs.

June 2, 2025– In a significant leadership shift, Indeed announced today that CEO Chris Hyams is stepping down after nearly 15 years with the company. Former CEO Deko, who led the company from 2013 to 2019, will return to the role effective immediately.

Hyams joined Indeed in 2010 as Vice President of Product when the company had only 130 employees and 20 million monthly unique visitors. Since then, he has been instrumental in driving the platform’s global expansion, scaling it to over 300 million monthly users and facilitating more than 75 million hires. Indeed’s revenue has grown 200 times under his leadership, transforming the company into the world’s largest job platform.

In his farewell note, Hyams described the role as “the most meaningful work” of his life and emphasized that the decision to leave was “one of the hardest” he has made. He also highlighted the broader significance of jobs beyond income, calling them “a source of dignity and pride” and a cornerstone of human purpose.

Hyams will remain with the company as a Board advisor through the end of 2025 to support the leadership transition. He noted that his next chapter will focus on global challenges including responsible AI, countering disinformation, human rights, and bridging the divide between technology and the humanities—areas he sees as critical in the age of artificial intelligence.

The timing of Hyams’ departure is especially notable, as Indeed prepares to launch its most ambitious product to date: a new agentic AI platform designed to function as a personal talent agent for job seekers and a talent scout for employers. The product is positioned as a game-changing innovation in the recruitment industry, leveraging AI to improve job matching and hiring outcomes.

Returning CEO Deko is no stranger to the role. During his previous tenure, he led the company through a period of rapid innovation and integration, including the pivotal transition into the Recruit Holdings family. Industry insiders view his return as a move to reinforce product execution and strategic clarity as the company doubles down on AI.

Analysts suggest this transition reflects a broader trend in HR tech: as AI reshapes the future of work, leadership agility and purpose-driven innovation are becoming vital to maintaining competitive edge.

The announcement has drawn strong reactions across professional networks, with many praising Hyams for his mission-driven leadership and welcoming Deko back to helm Indeed’s next era.

As AI accelerates disruption in the hiring ecosystem, Indeed’s leadership realignment may mark the start of a new chapter not just for the company—but for the global job market itself.