Grow with Us: Kat Wang on ten years at Pinterest

Ten years ago, Kat Wang, Sr. Manager, Project & Program Management, followed her curiosity to Pinterest. The road to Pinterest, and the journey that followed, have been shaped by new opportunities, meaningful learnings, and a career energized by ambiguity. As she celebrates a decade with us, Kat reflects on what brought her to Pinterest, the defining moments that still stick with her and what others should know about building a career here.

You studied political science and English, not exactly a straight line to tech. What brought you to Pinterest almost 10 years ago?

A recession can throw off any well-laid plans. I went to college assuming I’d become a lawyer, but when I graduated in 2008, I couldn’t fully commit to law school while the job market was in free fall. So I went straight to work instead, after plenty of cold-calling and more than a little anxiety about my decisions, first as an administrative assistant and then as a legal assistant. That path introduced me to the world of public policy and public affairs just as tech policy was unfolding in real time.

Being that close to the intersection of product, people, and policy is what ultimately made tech feel like the right long-term home for me, and it set the stage for joining Pinterest almost 10 years ago.

Your role here has evolved in some really fascinating ways. Can you share more about your career path at Pinterest and what parts of each role energized you the most?

I often say Pinterest and my then-manager (now mentor) took a chance on me. I was the first internal communications hire here, and I came in without any internal comms experience. But I had spent enough time working with executives, leading high-stakes events, and managing complex programs to know how to build trust, stay calm, and solve problems.

That became the foundation for everything that followed. I started in internal communications and later moved into strategy and operations, but the throughline has been remarkably consistent: I’m energized by ambiguity. Or maybe more accurately, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

I love that every day looks different. I love stepping into situations that feel messy or undefined and figuring out what matters, what’s missing, and how to move forward. And I really do love solving problems…especially the squirrelly ones that need a little structure and a lot of elbow grease.

That’s what has kept me engaged from my early years in tech and throughout my time at Pinterest: the chance to turn ambiguity into action and have fun in the process.

Not many people get to say they've watched a company evolve over nearly 10 years. If you had to point to one defining moment at Pinterest, what would it be, and why did it stick with you?

The pandemic was probably the defining moment, as 2020-coded as that sounds.

In a period of enormous uncertainty, I watched Pinterest respond with real urgency and humanity, both for our users and for each other. We were able to quickly surface credible health resources in the product, including medical and mental health support.

From a communications standpoint, I saw people rise to the occasion in remarkable ways. Internally, the internal comms team was in almost daily meetings with HR, Legal, Workplace, Security, and IT, helping define new standards for how we would work in a suddenly remote-first world. Externally, the team was figuring out how to communicate in a moment when daily life had changed overnight for millions of people.

That experience stayed with me because it showed me what Pinterest could be in a crisis: fast-moving, responsible, and deeply caring. It was the moment our values stopped being abstract and became real.

What's something about our platform or position in the market that genuinely excites or inspires you?

I’ve been here for 10 years because Pinterest’s mission still feels deeply worth believing in: helping people create a life they love. It’s pretty radical at a time when so much of the internet is designed to keep people passively scrolling. 

Pinterest keeps insisting on a different approach. I saw that firsthand at Davos, where world leaders and voices from across business, government, and media come together to grapple with some of the biggest questions about technology and society. Pinterest stood out for a clear belief: technology can support people’s well-being, judgment, and sense of possibility – and that can be good for business too! As a visual-first company, we brought that to life in how we showed up, from the iconic Pinterest red cutting through all the usual blues and greys to offering nourishing treats versus a generic swag bag. 

For someone interested in joining us, or maybe even someone just starting out here, what do you want them to know about what it's really like to build a career at Pinterest?

Whether you come to Pinterest on a straight path or one even more winding than mine, keep an open mind. Raise your hand. Listen to feedback, because it truly is a gift. And give yourself permission to dream. Pinterest, like our product, is full of possibilities, and some of the best opportunities are the ones you do not plan for at the start.