The Scoop: Indeed CEO announces departure with a Substack post

Indeed CEO Chris Hyams used Substack to tell the world he’s resigning this week.

Hyams announced he was leaving the company after 15 years in a lengthy message on Substack, which he shared with his team internally first. He addressed why it’s the right time, who’s stepping in and how the company will be moving forward.

He also noted that he’s been “far from” a tech guy and that Indeed will be advancing its use of AI in the coming months. No surprise there.

Hyams said he will remain on Indeed’s Board as an advisor through the end of the year. Former CEO Hisayuki Idekoba will resume the role.

From Hyam’s post:

“When my brother and I were kids, our dad told us a story about a close friend facing challenges in his life. The lesson of the story was that we make tough decisions not because life is short, but because life is long. Time *is* precious, and we need to spend it where we can be most useful.

“At this moment in history, that means devoting myself to a few urgent issues ensuring that all technology—not just Indeed—is built with humanity at its core. This includes advancing Responsible AI, countering disinformation, empowering workers, defending human rights, and bridging the gap between technology and the humanities.”

Why it matters: Perhaps this is a growing trend and we’ll see more personal, less jargony announcements from executives in the coming years. Because it humanizes them. It’s relatable. It feels like we’re getting a little glimpse into the inner circle in a way a press release can’t. Especially as Substack is a growing platform for journalism and other content creation, including thought leadership. It’s where people are gravitating.

Hyams was able to give his insights, offer his gratitude and explain his thinking while being honest that the company was moving toward more innovation and more tech advancements. It gave him a chance to pre-answer any questions people might have.

His message also garners empathy. It feels personal. We can all relate to major life changes and shifts in our priorities or career goals. The announcement demonstrates how comms can be effective, strategic and emotionally charged in a good way.

Editor’s Top Reads:

• The Pittsburgh Steelers issued a statement to fans after receiving backlash over players who attended a political rally for President Donald Trump last month. The players presented Trump with a No. 47 Steelers jersey. Soon after, some season ticket holders reached out to the organization, expressing their concerns, The Athletic reported. The Steelers stressed that its organization is not responsible for personal political views. “We understand that a recent rally in Pittsburgh has generated a range of reactions from our fan base,” the letter said. “Our alumni and current players make their own individual decisions that reflect their views, and they do not necessarily represent the view of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization. We appreciate your passion and your continued support of the team.” This is one of those things that, as a brand, you’ve got to address before it spirals. It shows that the Steelers hear what the fans are saying and acknowledge the concern by releasing a statement quickly. They also showed support for players’ personal views and separated the organization from any political affiliations. Could the message have gone a little deeper? Of course. But politics are tricky and the political climate is hot. It was probably best to be clear and concise and they were: We hear you. We respect your concern. But we respect our players’ personal politics too.
• The Washington Post is taking advantage of today’s diverse media landscape. With an internal project, called Ripple, the Post is opening its op-eds up to Substackers and other nonprofessional writers. The New York Times reports that the “new initiative aims to sharply expand that lineup, opening The Post to many published opinion articles from other newspapers across America, writers on Substack and eventually nonprofessional writers, according to four people familiar with the plan. Executives hope that the program…will appeal to readers who want more breadth than The Post’s current opinion section and more quality than social platforms like Reddit and X.” This move can help more non-traditional writers get published and create new avenues for content. It also means that PR pros can diversify their methods for getting their leaders, and messages, in the press in less traditional ways.
• In a new interview with Business Insider, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber discussed why the platform is unlike other social channels, how it gained a following at the right time and why its capabilities are catching on with content creators. Bluesky has been gaining traction for a lot of reasons. While it looks a lot like Twitter, it’s decentralized, meaning the user has more capabilities to curate and moderate their feed and content, Graber said. There are also currently no ads running on Bluesky. This is certainly a draw for its 36 million users, Graber said. People additionally want new ways of communicating – and Bluesky lets users have so much more control over what they see and how they digest it compared with other social channels. On why it works in 2025, Graber said: “It’s all sorts of reasons. It’s moderation policies. It’s a sense of toxicity and fatigue. It’s people wanting to just try something new. It’s people finding their community here. I think in general it’s both people looking for something and people looking to get away from something.”

Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].