TrillerNet, the parent company of short-form video app Triller, is shaking up its leadership and appointing non-executive board chairman Mahi de Silva to CEO, the company announced today (April 14).
De Silva is the co-founder and CEO of Amplify.ai, a customer engagement platform which TrillerNet — formerly Triller Network — is acquiring. He replaces Mike Lu, who has served as CEO since February 2017. Lu will transition to the role of TrillerNet president, and expand his focus on global investor relations.
Meanwhile, TrillerNet co-owner Bobby Sarnevesht will remain executive chairman of the company.
“We could not ask for a better CEO than Mahi de Silva,” Sarnevesht said. “He is one of the brightest minds in business, and his vision and leadership will be invaluable assets to Triller during its explosive growth. Having built and successfully exiting multiple unicorns in tech, social media, ad-tech and eCommerce, there couldn’t be a better person for the role.”
De Silva has led Amplify.ai since its founding in 2017, and has served on TrillerNet’s board since 2016. He was previously CEO of marketing and advertising company Opera Mediaworks (which is now AdColony), after its parent company Opera Software ASA acquired the mobile advertising platform de Silva co-founded, AdMarvel, Inc., in 2010. He also co-founded social platform Frengo and held leadership positions at VeriSign and Apple.
“The Triller team has built something extraordinary, and I’m excited to take on the role of CEO and join an amazingly talented team that’s re-defining the future of content, creators and commerce,” de Silva said. “Triller has empowered global influencers with unique capabilities to reach and engage millions of users around the world, while delivering innovating ways for partner brands to join this vibrant and flourishing ecosystem. The best is yet to come.”
In a statement, Lu added that the leadership transition will make TrillerNet’s operations more efficient.
“With this step we have officially replaced the inefficient brand funnel and turned it into a perfect cylinder,” Lu said. “There is nowhere else a brand can actually connect its message, its talent, its content and its distribution all in one place and simultaneously be given the ad-tech and mar-tech tools and analytics to perfectly hone its B-to-C experience.”
Following the acquisition, Amplify.ai will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TrillerNet. The company offers conversational ads and marketing, AI-driven comment moderation and more for clients like Google, Kohler and Facebook, through which it claims it has powered 11 billion digital engagements with over 600 million global consumers. Amplify.ai is currently integrated within the Triller app, and earlier this week, Triller partnered with Amplify.ai for the NFT marketplace www.TrillerNFTs.com.
In addition to owning the Triller app, TrillerNet recently acquired Verzuz and launched Triller Fight Club, a live-events venture in partnership with Snoop Dogg centered around boxing and music. It also operates TrillerTV, a long-form content streaming platform with more than 65 original shows.
