Ben Chestnut


Ben Chestnut is an American Internet entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Mailchimp, an email marketing company. As of November 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$4.1 billion.
𝕏 benchestnut

Early life

Ben Chestnut was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia and attended high school in Hephzibah, Georgia. He studied physics at the University of Georgia and industrial design at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Career

He is the co-founder and former CEO of Rocket Science Group, commonly known as Mailchimp a CRM with 11 million users. In 2016, he was recognized as Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year. According to Atlanta Business Chronicle, in August 2017, Chestnut was awarded "Most Admired CEO".
In October 2018, Forbes noted that Chestnut was a billionaire. In August 2022, Chestnut abruptly stepped down as CEO one month after sending a nearly 1,400-word email to a small group of employees identifying what he considered an alarming trend in his workforce: new hires introducing themselves in virtual meetings with their preferred pronouns.

Risks of social media

In an interview with Forbes Magazine, Chestnut countered arguments that social media would replace the need for email and email marketing.

Personal life

Chestnut is married, with two children, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.