Evan Spiegel talks at Cannes on Kylie Jenner, parents and tech, and the future of Snapchat
Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snap Inc., is making nice with reality star Kylie Jenner, would love to hire Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and thinks parents need to cool it with sharing pictures of their children.
In an interview set to air on “The Run Down,” the E! News Snapchat show, host Erin Lim asked Spiegel a handful of light-hearted questions but received some revealing answers.
Sitting under a giant poster of Kim Kardashian at the ongoing Cannes Lions festival, Spiegel was asked about his take on Jenner, who has 24 million followers on Twitter. Back in February, she tweeted her dislike of Snapchat's redesign, a much-publicized comment that coincided with Snap losing $1 billion in stock market value.
“I love Kylie, the original," he said. "She just had a baby. We both have new babies, so we have something to bond over.”
Spiegel, who used to dress in trademark white T-shirts, explained he’s switched to black because he’s usually spilling stuff on himself. He shared how he sees Snap evolving, with the service being a portal on the wider world and integrated with augmented reality.
“We’re going to come up with experiences that aren't confined to your little screen but overlaid on the world around you," he said.
The top Snap executive was asked which executive he’d most like to have work at the company and responded: “Jeff Bezos, no question. He’s incredible.”
Spiegel, who noted he was at Cannes Lions for a matter of hours since he wanted to get home to his family, was also asked what he would never Snap, saying: “My child. Parents are some of the worst piracy invaders.”
Amid serious conversations about technology use among children, he also revealed that he would likely let his own child use technology at around seven years old since his step son Flynn uses an ipod and emails him to say, “I love you.”
Spiegel also revealed he is guilty of sharing too many Snaps from the cockpit when he is piloting an aircraft. “I think it’s getting a little repetitive.”
When asked what is the biggest faux pas at Cannes Lions, he noted: “Day drinking. Especially in the heat.”