GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving to step down by end of year

PHOENIX — CEO Blake Irving of Scottsdale-based GoDaddy announced he would be stepping down by the end of the year.

“After more than three decades in technology, I’ve decided it’s time to retire and begin the next phase of my life,” Irving said in a statement posted Tuesday on the company website.

Yep, after 35 years of late nights and long travel in #tech it’s time to focus on the @GoDaddy board and new adventures w/ my wife Carol. https://t.co/DQlH1KHsyr

— Blake Irving (@Blakei) August 22, 2017

Scott Wagner, who serves as president and COO, will assume leadership Dec. 31.

Irving will stay on the board of directors until June 2018.

During his tenure at the top, Irving was credited with steering the company away from its racy but popular image, built on TV commercials featuring sexily dressed women uttering suggestive dialogue.

The company also went public on his watch, which began in 2013. Fortune magazine reported shares had doubled in value over that time and revenue jumped to nearly $2 billion last year.

“We’d like to thank Blake for the tremendous contributions he’s made over the last five years – his impact will be long felt,” board chairman Chuck Robel said in a statement.

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