PayPal Holdings, Inc. today announced the appointment of Srini Venkatesan as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective June 24, reporting to PayPal President and CEO Alex Chriss. In this role, Venkatesan will lead the development and implementation of technology across the entire PayPal ecosystem, including analytics and data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, information security, infrastructure operations, and product engineering. 

"Srini is a seasoned technologist and leader with a successful track record of building and scaling technology organizations, from early-stage startups to the world's largest retailer," said Chriss. "As we execute our mission to revolutionize commerce globally, Srini's experience leading technology, digital transformation, and AI personalization from inside some of our largest customers and partners will be invaluable. I'm thrilled to have Srini join the PayPal team." 

Venkatesan joins PayPal from Walmart where he most recently led the U.S. Omni Platforms and Tech organization. At Walmart, he led a team to build platforms, features, and capabilities to support the retailer globally. Prior to Walmart, Venkatesan oversaw Yahoo's display and video ad technology platform. Earlier in his career, he led product and technology teams at eBay and was Chief Technology Officer at StubHub and Marketo. Venkatesan earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Bharathiar University. 

"I've spent my career innovating to create new and improved ways for customers to discover, shop, and buy the goods they want and need," said Venkatesan. "I'm incredibly excited about joining PayPal and bringing together my experiences across tech and retail to personalize customers' shopping experiences."

Archie Deskus, who currently serves as PayPal's Chief Technology Officer, has decided to leave PayPal. Under Deskus' leadership, PayPal has made significant progress toward operating as a true platform company and strengthened its technology team, processes, and systems.