Dave Clark.
Lindsey Wasson | Reuters
Flexport CEO Dave Clark is resigning from the supply chain software startup and handing the reins over to founder and executive chair Ryan Petersen after one year in the role — and after just six months of helming the company solo.
“Today, Ryan and I discussed his desire to return to focusing on growth in the core freight business,” Clark wrote in a post on X, formerly called Twitter. “In light of that, I feel that he is best suited to lead the company in that direction. As such, I will be resigning from my position at Flexport.”
An early Flexport investor told CNBC that the company did not share the news of Clark’s departure with investors prior to the public announcement. Clark and Petersen had been co-CEOs of Flexport beginning last September, and Clark took over as the company’s sole CEO in March. He is now considering running for governor in Texas, where he lives, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Petersen started Flexport, which topped last year’s Disruptor 50 list, in 2013, with the goal of finding a better way to manage the flow of goods placed on ships, planes, trucks and railroads across the world. Flexport announced last June that Petersen would step down in March 2023 as CEO and turn the position over to Clark, while transitioning into the role of executive chair.
The news came just days after Amazon announced Clark would resign as CEO of its worldwide consumer business, bringing his more than two-decade career there to a close. Clark is credited with being a driving force behind Amazon’s logistics and fulfillment network.
In July, Flexport said Petersen would join Founders Fund, the venture capital fund founded by billionaire Peter Thiel.
Representatives from Flexport and Founders Fund did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
— CNBC’s Riley de León contributed to this story.