Outgoing CEO Eddie Martucci's Employee Letter Announcing Leadership Transition and Excitement for the Future
Dear Akilians,
Today, I'm writing to you with a mix of excitement, pride, and anticipation as we embark on a pivotal new chapter in Akili’s journey.
Having founded Akili and poured every ounce of my heart into this company for the past 12 years, I have made the decision, with the Board’s support, to transition from my role as CEO of Akili to Chair of the Board. In tandem, I’m thrilled to announce that our steadfast President and CEO Matt Franklin has been appointed as Akili’s next CEO!
It’s been an amazing experience and true honor to lead Akili through the first decade of our company’s journey. The time is now right for a change. As many of you know, my passion has always been rooted in establishing a vision, and catalyzing a first-of-its-kind product, and along with it a first-of-its-kind industry. We now need a leader with a similar passion for this next phase of the journey, for optimizing the business model and intensifying our revenue focus. I know no one with more passion for these priorities than Matt.
As CEO, Matt will also be joining the Board, and Chamath Palihapitiya has transitioned off the Board as I step into the Chair position. All of these changes were announced to the market this morning.
This change in leadership is also the culmination of our recent organizational transformation, built around our innovative, consumer-directed, non-prescription business model. It's the final piece of the puzzle that I believe will set Akili on an even higher-probability path of success.
I've worked closely with Matt over the last year and have seen firsthand his unwavering commitment, intellect, and drive. As you all know, he has been instrumental in shifting our company's mindset, embedding operational principles to enable rapid growth, and leading the charge in both conceptualizing and executing our non-prescription model. A model, I might add, where we are already seeing the signs of real growth and winning. Matt's history of excellence speaks for itself, and I'm confident that under his leadership, Akili's future is bright.
While no longer Akili’s CEO, rest assured that my passion, commitment, and energy remains unyielding. As Chair of the Board, I'll be bringing to the fore - all the way up to the level of our Board’s decisions - the pillars of our DNA that I believe will be instrumental for our future success: unwavering scientific credibility, a patient-first focus, and the criticality of iteration and adaptation in all areas of the business to continuously improve. I plan to remain closely tethered to our business, holding regular discussions with Matt and other executives, and be directly involved in a few key operational initiatives where I can make a tangible difference.
At a macro level, why am I so excited about this change? Because we have the ultimate blend of ingredients for success: a groundbreaking product, an incredible team, a dramatically improved business model, and the exact mindset needed to help millions of people in need. And we now have the right leader to guide the company in this next phase. While the road ahead demands relentless hard work, the building blocks for reaching our goals are now all in place.
There was a long time where I could never envision how I would step back from daily responsibilities. Today, however, I genuinely feel confident and excited about this new direction. I trust in our shared vision, our collective motivation to succeed, and most importantly, in each of you.
Thank you for your unwavering dedication and commitment. Let's forge ahead, writing the next chapter of Akili's story together, one that I hope will be even more remarkable than the last.
With heartfelt gratitude for your inspiration to me, and with excitement for the future,
Eddie Martucci