Life360 names COO Lauren Antonoff as its new CEO to succeed cofounder

Fast Company

2 days ago

The leadership shakeup at the San Francisco developer of family safety apps and location-tracking devices has been a couple years in the making.
Lauren Antonoff [Photo: Life360]
BY
Life360 has named Lauren Antonoff as its new CEO to succeed cofounder Chris Hulls. The move, which has been in the works since Antonoff joined the company in 2023 as chief operating officer, was announced Monday along with second-quarter earnings results for the San Francisco-based developer of popular family safety apps.
The company reported today another quarter of record subscribers, now totaling approximately 88 million monthly active users, up from nearly 71 million one year ago. As the company explores further growth opportunities ahead, including expanding its reach in international markets and adding new offerings, Hulls will stay on as executive chair of the Life360 board and continue working very closely with Antonoff.
'We both have a vision for it becoming a much bigger company,' Antonoff tells Fast Company in an exclusive interview. 'We see ourselves as the family super app, making everyday family life better.'
Opportunity for growth
The company is more-than halfway toward reaching one of its long-term strategic goals of 150 million monthly active users, though it's not as far along in achieving annual revenue that exceeds $1 billion. In addition to adding new subscribers, and particularly in markets outside the U.S., Life360 wants to serve those customers in new ways, such as expanding its focus on aging parents, Antonoff says.
'Our opportunity is really unlimited,' she adds. 'We are still very early in our journey, and we have a ton of value to create.'
Founded in 2008, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Life360 offers both a free and paid service that allows users to track the locations of their family and friends in real time via a smartphone app.
It acquired Tile Bluetooth trackers in 2021 and users can now keep tabs on the locations of pets and other valuables, while it has built upon an advertising program last year that includes targeted ads based on the real-world behavior of users.
The company has been making 'good progress' toward these long-term goals, Antonoff says, and stock market investors seem to agree. Since its initial public offering in June 2024, Life360 shares (Nasdaq: LIF) have nearly tripled in value.
What's for dinner?
Antonoff came to Life360 after rising the ranks at GoDaddy to president of the U.S. small business segment and a nearly 20-year career at Microsoft.
One commonality between her days at Microsoft and Life360, she says, is that the people who are paying for the products may have differing priorities than the users. At Microsoft, that was the IT department, at Life360, that's overwhelmingly moms.
The only way for Life360 to be successful for families is if teenagers also get something out of the experience, Antonoff says. And one testament, she says, is that many children opt to return to the app after turning 18 because they also like to know where their parents are.
'You have to make a product everybody feels good about using, otherwise you don't get the adoption,' she says.
Even though she's 'not a big worrier,' Antonoff has found more use cases for the apps than she ever would have imagined—it makes something as simple as picking someone up much easier.
'Knowing where your people are makes life better in 1,000 ways you didn't expect,' Antonoff says. 'Often, I'm just checking when my husband is bringing home dinner.'
Family focus
Antonoff has been key to the company's expansion—including adding tracking pets and things, along with the launch of its ads platform.
Looking ahead to some of the goals for her first year in this new role, she says one thing users can expect is a richer app experience. Following last year's integration with Uber, she says Life360 will look for additional integration opportunities—all in an effort to better serve the needs of everyday family life.
More tech companies are vying to provide location services to its users. Instagram recently debuted a location-sharing Map feature that has raised privacy concerns and prompted many users to turn it off.
Meanwhile, Apple has for years offered a free location app. And yet, people still opt for Life360 because it provides the answers people want, faster, and more reliable and family-oriented.
Despite more competition, users still opt for Life360's services, even as other companies explore location-based services. 'They're not investing in family the way that we are,' Antonoff says.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna-Louise Jackson is a freelance writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience covering financial markets, the economy, personal finance, and business trends. Her work has previously been published by Bloomberg Businessweek, CNBC, The Associated Press, Money, Success, and more More