OnlyFans founder and CEO Tim Stokely is stepping down, Bloomberg reports. His successor is Ami Gan, the company’s former head of communications and marketing. This move comes after a tenuous year for OnlyFans, in which the company said it would ban the sex workers that thrive on the platform, a decision that it suspended a week later.
If it seems strange to appoint a spokesperson as CEO of a company, you’re not off-base. But, per reports, this was Stokely’s own decision.
“We’ve worked side-by-side sharing our passion about the creator economy,” Gan, the new CEO, said. “Our priority is to continue being committed to being the safest social media platform in the world.”
Gan also said that she will invest in OFTV, the company’s safe-for-work streaming app, and will build new tools for creators. While Stokely’s own business background is in online pornography, Gan has worked for brands like Red Bull, Quest Nutrition and a cannabis cafe.
TechCrunch asked OnlyFans if this change in leadership will impact sex workers on the platform and is awaiting comment.
OnlyFans thrives thanks to its NSFW creators, and in August, the company was on track to do $2.5 billion in sales this year, up from $1.2 billion last year (OnlyFans takes 20% of creator earnings). But then, the company dropped a bombshell that would jeopardize the livelihoods of the sex workers who made the app a billion-dollar enterprise: OnlyFans was going to ban NSFW content. After swift backlash, OnlyFans suspended this decision, saying that it resolved issues with banking providers.
This story is developing…
