Keith Pitt, the cofounder and CEO of software startup Buildkite, has left the business.
Company chair Barry Crist portrayed Pitt’s sudden departure without a replacement as “part of the normal lifecycle of a technology company”.
US-based Crist, a 20-year veteran of developer tools, including leading Chef Software, will be acting CEO as the company hunts for a new leader.
There was no explanation for Pitt’s departure, nor comments from the former CEO in the media release announcing the change, which notably listed a leading reputation management firm as contact.
Pitt ceased to be an employee over the weekend, but the company said he will remain engaged with Buildkite “as both a major shareholder and founder” and provide ongoing input.
Reports in other media suggested there had been major staff turnover since the start of 2024 with chief of staff and financial controller among those departing.
Buildkite was founded in 2013 by Pitt and Tim Lucas, who was co-CEO, but exited the business in 2022.
The software development startup raised a $31 million Series B in 2022, led by OneVentures and AirTree, with Up bank founder Dom Pym also chipping in alongside US firm General Catalyst. It previously raised $28 million in 2020 at a $200 million valuation.
The platform allows developers to build, test, and deploy software at scale.
Crist praised Pitt on his departure.
“Keith had defied all odds to create and bootstrap one of the most interesting technology companies in Australia and one of the most trusted names of developer tools in the world,” he said.
“On behalf of the board, I want to express our sincere gratitude to Keith for his numerous contributions over the past 12 years. In recent years, the company has built out a strong, experienced management team, including new CTO James Wilson, to ensure a strong foundation for Buildkite’s future growth.”
Meanwhile, James Wilson, whose CV includes WooliesX, the digital division of Woolworths, AWS, Apple, and building the engineering team at CBA’s venture arm x15ventures, has signed on at Buildkite as chief technology officer.
“With James’s appointment to our already strong executive leadership team we are excited about our next stage of growth and innovation,” Crist said.
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