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System1 operates an industry-leading responsive acquisition marketing platform (RAMP) powered by AI & machine learning.
The Role
The General Manager will oversee Startpage's P&L, transforming the business into an AI-native platform, driving growth, marketing, and monetization strategies, while ensuring financial discipline and brand trust.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Startpage:
Startpage is System1’s flagship privacy technology brand, delivering high-quality private search, browsing, and AI experiences to millions worldwide. Founded in the Netherlands and built on privacy-by-design, Startpage operates the world’s second-largest private search engine for users who demand a safer, better web.
Startpage is a profitable, scaled global business generating significant revenue, gross profit, and EBITDA, with a loyal and growing international user base.
Search is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. AI is redefining how users discover information, how platforms monetize attention, and how digital businesses are built and operated. We are seeking a General Manager to lead Startpage’s AI transformation — rearchitecting product, growth, monetization, and operations to build the leading AI-native, privacy-first search platform globally.
Role Overview:
The General Manager is the full P&L owner of Startpage. You will own and drive the operating plan and financial performance of a profitable business while aggressively evolving its strategy to compete in the AI-driven future of search.
This role requires balancing bold transformation with financial discipline — driving innovation while protecting profitability, brand trust, and capital efficiency.
The GM must view AI not as a feature layer, but as core infrastructure shaping product, growth systems, monetization, and operating workflows. You will operate with an owner mentality — running Startpage as a standalone business with founder-level accountability, supported by the scale and resources of System1.
Core Mandate:
· Transform Startpage into an AI-native search and discovery platform
· Redefine privacy-first search experiences beyond traditional query-response models
· Reinvent monetization models for AI-enhanced search
· Embed AI into core operating workflows across product, marketing, analytics, and operations
· Deliver sustained user and query growth while maintaining disciplined profitability
This position is an onsite role requiring you to work in our headquarters located at 4235 Redwood Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90066.
Growth & Distribution Acceleration:
- Drive global user and query growth through product expansion, performance marketing, lifecycle initiatives, and content/community strategies.
- Expand distribution via browsers, OEMs, privacy platforms, and publishers.
- Originate, structure, negotiate, and close high-impact strategic partnerships.
- Increase experimentation velocity through AI-assisted insights and automation.
AI-Native Product Reinvention:
- Define and execute the long-term vision and multi-quarter roadmap for AI-enhanced, privacy-first search and browsing experiences.
- Develop differentiated AI-powered user experiences within privacy-by-design principles.
- Evaluate build, partner, and acquisition strategies for AI capabilities.
- Ensure AI innovation enhances trust, transparency, and user control.
Monetization & Financial Discipline:
- Reimagine monetization models for AI-enhanced search experiences.
- Optimize yield with search, advertising, and feed partners while maintaining privacy alignment.
- Drive disciplined forecasting, capital allocation, and margin management.
- Improve unit economics and long-term scalability.
- Deliver transformation while protecting EBITDA and financial resilience.
AI-Augmented Operating Model:
- Redesign internal workflows to be AI-first across product, growth, analytics, and operations.
- Shorten build-test-scale cycles through automation and intelligent tooling.
Leadership & Cultural Transformation:
- Build and lead an AI-fluent, high-performance leadership team.
- Foster a culture of experimentation, speed, accountability, and intelligent risk-taking.
- Recruit and develop talent that thrives in AI-native environments.
- Serve as a credible spokesperson for Startpage with users, partners, media, and the global privacy community.
What Success Looks Like (24–36 Months):
- Meaningful acceleration in global DAU/MAU and query growth
- Clear AI-differentiated product experiences
- Faster product iteration cycles and experimentation velocity
- Expanded global distribution partnerships
- Improved monetization yield and scalable unit economics
- AI embedded across core operating workflows
- Strengthened market position as the leading scaled privacy-first alternative
What You’ll Bring:
- 5+ years of experience in consumer internet, search, AI products, private search, or high-growth digital platforms.
- 2+ years in a GM, Business Unit, or comparable P&L leadership role or as an entrepreneur.
- Demonstrated experience within the past 12-18 months leading AI-driven product innovation or business transformation.
- Proven ability to redesign operating models using AI and automation.
- Strong understanding of growth systems, monetization mechanics, and partnership economics.
- Financial acumen — able to build models, manage forecasts, and make capital-efficient decisions.
- Technical fluency to partner effectively with engineering, product, and data teams.
- Analytical, experimentation-driven mindset.
- High bias for action — you test and learn rather than overanalyze.
- Entrepreneurial operator who moves quickly and embraces calculated risk.
- Mission alignment with privacy as a strategic competitive advantage.
Why This Role Is Unique:
- A Profitable Platform at Scale - Startpage is not an early-stage startup. It is a profitable, global business with meaningful revenue, EBITDA, and a loyal user base.
- True Transformation Mandate - This is not a caretaker role. You will define and execute the next chapter of private search in the AI era.
- AI at the Core of Search - As search and AI converge, Startpage sits at the center of this evolution — offering the opportunity to shape the privacy-first alternative at global scale.
- Founder-Level Autonomy - System1 operates its divisions as standalone businesses. As GM, you will run Startpage with founder-level autonomy, supported by the capital and infrastructure of a larger organization.
What We Have To Offer:
- Competitive salary + bonus + equity
- Generous PTO + 11 company holidays
- Open sick time
- 100% covered Medical, Dental, Vision for employees
- 401k with match
- Health & Dependent Care Flex Spending Account
- Paid professional development
- Leadership & growth opportunities
- Virtual company and team building events
System1’s headquarters is located in Marina del Rey, CA with an additional office in Bellevue, WA.
Employees near office locations are returning to the office.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
System1 provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Top Skills
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The Company
What We Do
We are an omnichannel customer acquisition platform with offices throughout the US, Canada and Europe. System1 builds desktop and mobile apps, search engines, and online publications that empower consumers with information while respecting their privacy. We also operate brands that include CouponFollow, Startpage and MapQuest. System1 is a champion of AI technology, investing in the first legal AI called Vinny after the movie "My Cousin Vinny"!
Why Work With Us
Our growing team of over 200 people is an incredible cohort of engineers, product managers, data scientists, & buy- and sell-side ad/mar tech experts. Together, we have grown globally through Best-In-Class hiring and complimentary business acquisition, and we are JUST getting started.
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System1 Teams
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About our Teams
System1 Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Our hybrid policy allows employees to work with their teams in the office and also remotely. Teams have decided what works best for them and the employees on their teams.
Typical time on-site:
Not Specified
