Fidji Simo

Simo grew up in Sète, in the south of France, and now lives in California.[1][5] She was the first member of her family to graduate from high school, and holds a master of management degree from HEC Paris.[1][5] She spent the last year of her program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.[5]

Simo co-founded Women in Product, a nonprofit organization for women in product management.[5][6] The organization works to advance the careers of women in technology and advocates for equal representation in the workplace.[5] Previously Simo was on the boards of the L.A. Dance Project and Cirque du Soleil.[7][8]

In October 2021, Simo co-founded a new health clinic and research institute, Metrodora. In addition to being a co-founder, Simo is also a board member and investor. Metrodora is focused on treating women with neuroimmune conditions.[9]

Simo worked at eBay from 2007-2011 as part of the strategy team.[1][5] While at eBay, she built out the company’s local commerce and classified-advertising initiatives.[1]

In 2011, Simo joined Facebook.[5] After three years, she became director of product development.[1][5] Then, in 2017, she was promoted to Vice President of Video, Games, and Monetization.[1][5] She led a team of 700 engineers and product managers and oversaw the launch of the video platforms Facebook Live and Watch.[5][1]

In her final position before leaving for Instacart, she assumed leadership of the Facebook App.[5]

Simo joined Instacart’s board of directors in January 2021, and was appointed as the company’s CEO in July.[5][10] She started in the new role in August, replacing Apoorva Mehta, who became the executive chairman of the board.[11][5]