![](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2015\/11\/grocery_being_delivered_instacart.jpg?w=738\")
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TechCrunch has learned that Mike Swartz, an operations veteran from Amazon who joined Instacart in February last year, has left the company. Instacart confirmed the departure.<\/p>\n
The departure comes at a time when Instacart is working out its place in the world after dealing with some controversy, including changing its tipping procedures that led to shopper backlash<\/a>. Instacart operates in a challenging ecosystem that relies on slicing off margins of a delivery business while still keeping its shoppers and customers happy. And because on-demand delivery is such a complicated web of partnerships, technology and managing a large delivery network, it needs to ensure that the operation continues to run smoothly.<\/p>\n To be sure departures at startups \u2014 especially as they scale \u2014 aren\u2019t out of the norm. While Swartz is no longer there, Instacart just hired Cheryl Law as its chief marketing officer in January. Law was most recently the chief marketing officer of Prosper Marketplace. It\u2019s likely that the role won\u2019t be empty for long, as it recently\u00a0raised $400 million at a $3.4 billion valuation in March and now appears to have a fresh vote of confidence from the venture community. That will go a long way toward bringing in\u00a0talent with experience in the area (and the cash obviously won\u2019t hurt). <\/p>\n Instacart\u2019s revenue comes from multiple places, including programs with partners like Whole Foods and delivery fees. But that all requires a careful balancing act to ensure that it is able to price competitively enough that it can convince consumers that they should just order their food through an app rather than going to a store. And it also has to convince potential partners of the opportunity to advertise products through Instacart.<\/p>\n Still, losing Swartz may be a bit of a hit for Instacart. Swartz was at Amazon for nearly a decade at Amazon and joined as Instacart\u2019s first VP of operations. For a company that needs to operate as efficiently and seamlessly as possible if it\u2019s going to to prove that an on-demand delivery business can be a viable independent company, it\u2019s going to need a strong stable of executives with experience in the space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2015\/11\/grocery_being_delivered_instacart.jpg?w=680\")
TechCrunch has learned that Mike Swartz, an operations veteran from Amazon who joined Instacart in February last year, has left the company. Instacart confirmed the departure.
\nThe departure comes at a time when Instacart is working out its place in the world after dealing with some controversy, including changing its tipping procedures that led to shopper backlash. Instacart operates in a… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/img><\/a>
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