What makes Snapchat different from Instagram or TikTok? Its organizational chart is the answer. Evan Spiegel manages the company by providing individuals with creative freedom as well as maintaining an orientation towards the latest technology. This allows the platform to deliver around five billion snaps daily.
In this guide, we will discuss the uniqueness of this social media platform by learning the structure of the Snapchat organization.
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Snapchat Organizational Chart
Snapchat began as a basic photo-sharing application and has evolved into a large social media platform. It is used by over 400 million people daily. The company structure demonstrates the way Snapchat manages its teams to remain competitive in comparison with other companies such as Instagram and TikTok.
By looking at the structure of Snapchat, one can understand why the company continues to innovate. AR filters, original content, and all of the features are the result of well-structured teams collaborating.
The Leadership Structure of Snapchat.
Snapchat has a clear hierarchy that begins with the Co-Founder at the top. The executive team works under his supervision, and there comes the department leadership. This structure ensures that everyone is focused on goals and teams are free to innovate.
The chart indicates that there are two key layers below the CEO. The executive team decides on a company-wide basis concerning money, operations, technology, and legal issues. Whereas, the department leadership is concerned with product, engineering, marketing, people and design.
This arrangement enables fast decision-making. The product team, engineers, and designers collaborate without seeking approval at each stage when Snapchat requires a new feature. On the other hand, the executives provide direction and do not micromanage day-to-day operations.
Executive Team Composition
Below the Co-Founder and CEO is the executive team. These leaders map the way for the company and make sure that all departments are working towards a similar direction.
- 1. Derek Andersen - CFO: Handle money, budgets, investor relations and growth planning matters.
- 2. Jerry Hunter - COO: Is responsible for day-to-day operations, department coordination, and project scheduling.
- 3. Bobby Murphy - Co-Founder and CTO: Is the head of the technology department, he directs engineering and keeps the app running for millions.
- 4. Eric Young -General counsel: He manages all legal, contract, and compliance work and protects the company against legal risks.
These executives are in close contact with each other and they meet regularly to discuss issues, update on progress, and make decisions about the future of the company.
Leadership of the Department
The Department Leadership is in charge of certain functions which work under the Executive Team. These leaders operate day-to-day activities in their areas.
- 1. Product lead - VP of product: They determine product strategy and decide what features to develop with the help of user feedback to enhance the app.
- 2. Engineering lead VP of engineering: They are responsible for developing and supporting the Snapchat app, resolving bugs and creating new technical features.
- 3. Marketing lead - CMO: They lead all marketing work, and brand development, including social media, and also acquire new users and retain existing ones.
- 4. Leading people - CPP: They manage recruitment, staff development, organizational culture, and employment policies to retain talented employees.
- 5. Design lead - VP of design: They handle the visual and user-experience design, develop the interface, AR filters, and make everything look good and functional altogether.
These departments are independent and work together on different projects simultaneously. Similarly, engineering, design and marketing teams come together when introducing a new feature or any product.
Co‑Founder Leadership Model
Evan Spiegel is the Co-Founder and CEO, overseeing the company from the top. He determines the vision, makes ultimate decisions, and represents the company publicly. His collaboration with Bobby Murphy (CTO) is a balance of creative vision and technical implementation.
This specific model presents a strong foundation for the company. Evan has a profound knowledge of the product and users, which drives strategy. He is also associated with risky decisions, including turning down billion-dollar acquisition bids and prioritizing innovation instead of rapid expansion when needed.
This co-founder model brings stability. It is because Evan and Bobby have been there since the beginning of Snapchat. They are familiar with the roots of the company and preserve its unique culture, keeping Snapchat relevant to its mission and adjusting to market changes.
Why Does Snapchat’s Structure Work?
The effectiveness of Snapchat’s structure is due to the presence of clear leaders and flexible teams operating in their respective areas. It is the CEO who sets the vision. Then some executives deal with general operations. Whereas the heads of the departments are free to operate without much intervention.
Thus, this structure assists quick innovation within the company. As a result of this, social media evolves rapidly, and Snapchat can respond timely manner. When competitors introduce new features, the teams at Snapchat respond without waiting for unnecessary approvals.
Moreover, the presence of co-founders in leadership brings authenticity to the structure, too. Evan Spiegel is familiar with young users since he designed the app to suit them from the beginning. This information is strongly disseminated within the company. Therefore, each team is aware of the audience and develops features on their behalf.
Plus, the horizontal relationship among executives and departments develops accountability. Due to which each leader is a complete owner of their area. This ownership motivates team members to perform well, and the responsibility is made clear throughout the company without any doubts.
How to Design a Similar Org Chart?
Do you want to create a Snapchat-style org chart for your company, too? Then, grab the following points to design a similar organizational chart.
- 1. To begin with, identify the levels of leadership in your firm. List the top executive, then any senior leaders who report to the top executive and lastly the heads of each department.
- 2. Select an org chart maker, like EdrawMind, Lucidchart or PowerPoint. These applications have free chart-making templates, which make it easy for you to kickstart. Choose a design that is easy to understand in terms of reporting.
- 3. Insert the name and title of each person. Divide levels of executives and departments using various colors or shapes. This facilitates the observation of the hierarchy.
- 4. Make the chart clear and straightforward. Do not stuff it with too much information. Include only the most important roles and reporting lines. You can always make individual departmental charts separately if you want to explain in detail.
- 5. Revise the chart when your company expands or the positions shift. An up-to-date chart ensures that everybody is aware of who is in charge of what.
Step-by-Step Guide to Make an Organizational Chart
After you are done with collecting information about the company, it's time to build an org chart. I have picked Wondershare EdrawMind free org chart tool to create a Snapchat organizational chart.
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Step1 Start with New a Canvas
- Open the application and create a new mind map.
- Choose a suitable layout and structure from the tool panel.
- The one I have picked is a horizontal layout for Snapchat called Mindmap (Logic Map).
Step2 Identify Top Leadership
- In the Main Idea box, add the top leadership of the company, i.e. the Co-founder or CEO.
- You may also add the logo or image of the company as per your needs.
- Change the shape, color, border, and branch connectors as you like from the tool panel.
Step3 Develop Executive Team
- Create relevant tiers for executive and department leadership according to your company. It shows the hierarchy of the firm and the flow of the decisions.
- You may add or remove boxes from the top panel by choosing the option Subtopic.
- Change the shape and color of the boxes to keep them apart, indicating the differences in the roles they play.
Step4 Identify Different Departments
- Branch out different Subtopics from the toolbar and keep adding until you mention all the departments operating in your company.
- Name each box with the representatives of each department. Change the shape and color of the boxes to show the differences of the role.
- You may also add Floating Topic, add Multiple Topics, show Relationship among them, Call Out, create Boundary around a subtopic or even add a Summary of that role—everything from the top toolbar.
Step5 Add Relevant Information (Optional)
- Once you are done with putting all the people in their respective places in the structure, you can add images of each of them as well.
- Choose Floating Topic and then go to the Insert option on the toolbar.
- Click on the Picture option and add the image of each member of the team.
Step6 Save and Share
- Thoroughly check all the names, roles and their relevant fields.
- Click Export to download as PDF, PNG or PowerPoint.
- You can share with your team by clicking the share button and copying the link.
Conclusion
The Snapchat organizational chart demonstrates how a clear structure is a key to success in fast-moving industries. Looking at this structure makes you realize how tech companies today are structured to become agile and expand.
Regardless of whether you are learning business models or creating your own org chart, the approach of Snapchat provides helpful insights into how to strike the right balance between vision and execution.
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