Etsy Welcomes Rafe Colburn as New Chief Technology Officer, Strengthening Their Technology Leadership

Etsy Appoints Rafe Colburn as Chief Technology Officer

Etsy, Inc., a renowned platform connecting millions of passionate buyers and creative sellers across the globe, has announced the appointment of Rafe Colburn as their new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This decision, effective from May 5, 2025, marks a significant shift in Etsy's leadership aiming to accelerate technological improvements within the company.

Colburn comes to Etsy with a rich background in technology leadership, currently serving as the Chief Technology Product Officer at Depop. His tenure at Depop has been marked by remarkable achievements, including scaling the technology team amid rapid growth and transforming the customer experience into a more app-centric, discovery-oriented format. Before his impactful stint at Depop, Colburn worked with Etsy for nearly a decade, facilitating engineering teams through pivotal growth phases and transformations in key areas such as advertising, marketing technology, seller experience, and customer support.

Josh Silverman, Etsy's CEO, expressed his enthusiasm over Colburn’s appointment, stating, "The magic of Etsy lies in leveraging technology to create meaningful human connections. Rafe has demonstrated that he can craft a technical strategy enabling us to enhance our impact and link more buyers with our global community of sellers." He further praised Colburn's vision for creating shopping experiences that are unique, personalized, and relevant to users.

Colburn echoed these sentiments, stating, "I’m honored to take on this role and collaborate with Etsy’s talented team. The technology landscape is currently dynamic, especially with the maturation of AI, which presents incredible opportunities for us to revolutionize the shopping experience and deepen engagement with buyers while generating more economic opportunities for sellers."

As part of his new position, Colburn will operate out of Etsy's headquarters in Brooklyn, NY, and report directly to the CEO, playing an integral role in Etsy’s Executive Team. Alongside this strategic appointment, Peter Semple has been designated as the interim CEO of Depop, also commencing on May 5, 2025. Semple, who has been with the brand as Chief Marketing Officer since 2019, will helm Depop until the firm identifies a permanent leader.

Rafe Colburn’s Journey

Rafe Colburn's career has been marked by a consistent trajectory of significant achievements in the technology realm. His current role at Depop not only includes leadership in product design but also involves driving the overall vision for the end-to-end user experience while building a high-performing product organization. Before stepping into this role, he was Vice President of Engineering at Etsy, managing essential teams responsible for ads, fulfillment, seller experience, and other critical functions.

Colburn's path in the tech industry includes notable early roles, such as Principal Engineer at IDology and various consulting positions focused on building custom applications. His extensive experience also includes writing numerous articles and papers, asserting his thought leadership in web development.

Etsy.com, the primary marketplace for the company, is known as the global destination for unique and creative goods. The organization emphasizes its commitment to