Life360 CEO Steps Down After 19 Years, Shares Unfiltered Burnout Story

Chris Hulls, co-founder of Life360, has stepped down as CEO after nearly two decades, opting to share a blunt, unfiltered account of his departure instead of relying on the polished messaging typically dictated by corporate communications and legal teams [1]. In a candid blog post, Hulls said he burned out after years of being the “last line of defense” for the $9 billion location-tracking company. Rather than offer a sanitized version of his exit, Hulls openly criticized the use of corporate speak and chose to communicate his feelings unfiltered. He also announced that COO Lauren Antonoff will take over as CEO, a role she will embrace full-time starting this week.

Hulls expressed frustration with the conventional approach to leadership transitions, noting that many stakeholders advised him on what to say, but he rejected the idea of using a boilerplate message [1]. Instead, he shared his reflections on the emotional and physical toll of being a CEO. “There are parts of the CEO role I love that fuel me, and parts that drain me,” he wrote. He emphasized that the constant pressure to be available 24/7 had left him running on empty, and that the time had come to step aside.

His departure was planned for some time; Hulls revealed that he had informed the board of his intent to transition out of the CEO role two years ago when he turned 40, with the aim of stepping down before 45. Now serving as executive chairman, he emphasized that Antonoff is the right person to lead Life360 into the next phase of its growth. “She’s fresh, relentless, and loves the work,” he wrote, adding that she is wired to be “all in on every aspect of it, every single day.”

Antonoff, who previously held senior roles at GoDaddy and Microsoft, will earn an annual salary of $515,000, a $515,000 target bonus, and one-time equity grants valued at $8.4 million, split between restricted stock units and performance-based stock units. She also received a separate performance-share grant valued at $3.6 million. The board has also restructured slightly, with Mark Goines named as lead independent director to balance the new leadership setup.

Hulls praised Antonoff for her energy and commitment, stating the two “click in a way that makes product work a joy.” He also compared their dynamic to the historic LinkedIn co-leadership model of Jeff Weiner and Reid Hoffman, expressing hope that their partnership could serve as an example for others. “I hope one day we can be like Jeff Weiner and Reid Hoffman at LinkedIn, one of those leadership duos people point to as a model for how to scale and evolve a company,” he wrote.

The departure of Hulls from the CEO role fits into a broader trend of rising corner-office turnover, particularly in the tech sector. According to data from executive recruitment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, CEO exits in U.S. companies rose by 12% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 [1]. In tech specifically, 138 CEOs left their roles through June 2025, a 16% increase from 2024. The firm attributed this to uncertainty, tech-sector disruptions, and evolving leadership expectations.

Life360’s leadership change marks a shift toward a more internal succession model, with 53% of CEO appointments being internal in 2025 so far. However, the tech industry still lags in gender diversity, with only 25% of new CEO appointments being women.

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[1] ‘I disdain corporate speak’: Tech founder disregards comms and legal in tell-all sign-off post about the heavy weight of being CEO (https://fortune.com/2025/08/12/life360-ceo-resigns-burnout/)