Badoo nabs Google’s jack-of-all-trades Ben Ling for COO gig
Badoo is a social discovery website founded in 2006 that is managed out of SoHo, London and quickly reaching its 148 million user, but today it announced a very pivotal hire.
Google’s Product Management Director of Search Products and Local Business Products Benjamin Ling is leaving the search engine to become Badoo’s Chief Operating Officer. He will help Badoo expand across mobile and Web platforms, which is essential since the website is widely revered as one of Europe’s leading Internet firms.
“One of the things that attracted me to Badoo is its mainstream appeal. Badoo is putting the ‘social’ back into social networking, and it’s doing it on a massive scale. To me, that’s a thrilling opportunity,” announced Ling.
Ling’s new gig starts May 2012 in London, where he will oversee corporate matters, product, business operations, engineering, and partnerships.