Most apps are built to addict

Matt Madrigal, Pinterest's chief product and technology officer, observes that the app industry prioritizes keeping users engaged above all else.

Pinterest pursues additive AI instead

Madrigal champions what he calls additive AI: software that provides genuinely useful ideas, products, or plans for real life. The goal is time well spent, not total time spent.

“Our goal for our users is time well spent, not total time spent.”

The Taste Graph powers recommendations

Pinterest's proprietary Taste Graph holds a decade of data about what people like, forming the foundation for its AI systems. Search for a fire pit and you'll also see chairs and party ideas.

“If a traditional search engine did this, you would think it was broken.”

The strategy is working at scale

Pinterest has 640 million monthly active users and has grown for 12 straight quarters, proving that prioritizing safety and user value doesn't slow momentum.

Safety and speed can coexist

Madrigal, who joined Pinterest in 2024, says the company has invested in the right evaluations and foundations to move quickly while maintaining high standards for safety and youth mental health.

“I think we've invested in the right [evaluations], the right foundation that allows us to move very quickly while keeping, frankly, a high bar when it comes to safety and youth mental health.”