PrizePicks Designates Ex-Blizzard Prez Mike Ybarra as CEO

PrizePicks, North America’s largest daily fantasy sports operator, has reinforced its leadership team with a new C-suite appointment. As announced by the company, Mike Ybarra, former president of the video gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment, has joined its ranks as chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Ybarra to Head the Next Phase of PrizePicks Growth

In his new role, Ybarra will succeed the outgoing Adam Wexler, PrizePicks’ founder and CEO. The latter man is going to instead serve as executive chairman of the company’s board. Speaking of which, Ybarra will also join the board, further underpinning the company’s growth efforts.

Wexler, who founded PrizePicks in 2017, has led the company’s growth “from a nascent startup into the leading daily fantasy sports company in North America.” Under his leadership, the daily fantasy specialist was able to attract more than 10 million community members and award billions of dollars in winnings.

Providing sports aficionados with unparalleled excitement, PrizePicks has made fantasy sports more accessible than ever, solidifying itself as the go-to DFS operator.

In the meantime, Ybarra brings over 25 years of leadership and operational experience in tech and gaming to the company. As president of Blizzard Entertainment, he was responsible for the entire portfolio P&L and growth achievements.

Before his tenure as Blizzard’s president, he spent approximately 20 years at Microsoft, undertaking a variety of leadership roles.

Ybarra Is Looking Forward to Leading PrizePicks

Ybarra reflected on his new appointment, expressing awe at the passion, positive energy and incredible team at PrizePicks. He thanked the company’s leadership for having him on board and said that he is looking forward to continuing PrizePicks’ growth journey.

PrizePicks is the most exciting company in sports entertainment today, and it’s an honor to join as CEO. I have tremendous respect for the foundation that Adam has built and look forward to working with him and the team.

Mike Ybarra, CEO, PrizePicks

Wexler, meanwhile, said that he is proud of how far PrizePicks has come, lauding its explosive growth. He said that the fact that the DFS operator was able to attract someone of the caliber of Ybarra is a testament to its legitimacy and success.

It is a great honor to partner with him. Mike’s track record of introducing fan-favorite games, driving development initiatives and scaling large customer bases will propel us to new heights.

Adam Wexler, executive chair, PrizePicks

Finally, Jon Hallett, a member of PrizePicks’ board of managers, welcomed Ybarra on board, saying that he is the “right leader for the next phase of the company’s journey.” Hallett added that the entire team is thankful for Wexler’s contributions and is happy that he will continue to support the team in unlocking future expansion opportunities.