Hong Min-taek, CPO who led KakaoTalk overhaul, resigns… leadership gap ahead of AI transition

Kakao CPO Hong Min-taek is stepping down before his term ends after backlash over the KakaoTalk redesign.

The overhaul aimed to boost engagement and ad revenue, and ads did rise in the first quarter, but user dissatisfaction remained high.

Kakao plans to quickly appoint a successor as it prepares to expand AI-based services and improve monetization.

The move creates a product leadership gap at a sensitive time, as Kakao tries to rebuild user trust.