When people think about the Pornhub CEO, they usually imagine a shadowy figure living in a Bond-villain lair or maybe a corporate suit who’s completely detached from the reality of the adult industry. It’s actually way more complicated than that. In 2026, the leadership at Aylo—the parent company formerly known as MindGeek—has to deal with a mountain of legal pressure, shifting payment processor rules, and a constant battle over content moderation that would make most Silicon Valley execs quit in a week.
Valeriy Shvets took the reins as CEO of Aylo during one of the most volatile periods in the company’s history. He didn't just inherit a website; he inherited a lightning rod for global debate.
Think about it.
The site gets billions of visits. Every single month. That’s more traffic than most "mainstream" social media platforms could ever dream of. But with that kind of scale comes a level of scrutiny that is almost impossible to manage perfectly.
Who Is the Current CEO of Pornhub?
Technically, the title belongs to the head of Aylo. After the departure of long-time leaders Feras Antoon and David Tassillo in 2022, the company underwent a massive rebranding and a change in ownership. Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), a private equity firm based in Ottawa, bought the whole operation in early 2023.
Valeriy Shvets stepped into the leadership role with a background that is notably corporate and operational. He’s not a "porn guy" in the way people might expect. He’s a business strategist. He’s the guy who has to explain to banks and regulators that the site is actually doing more for online safety than the average person realizes. Honestly, it’s a tough sell.
The transition from MindGeek to Aylo wasn't just a name change to hide from bad PR. It was an attempt to signal a "new era" of transparency. Whether or not you believe that depends on how much you trust private equity firms. But the fact remains: the Pornhub CEO today spends more time talking to lawyers and compliance officers than looking at content.
The Mastercard and Visa Crisis That Changed Everything
You can't talk about the leadership without talking about the 2020 crash. This was the moment the ground shifted. Following an investigation by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times, major credit card processors like Visa and Mastercard basically cut ties.
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It was a mess.
Suddenly, a multi-billion dollar empire couldn't process payments. The response from the leadership—which eventually paved the way for Shvets' current strategy—was a scorched-earth policy on unverified content.
- They purged millions of videos.
- They banned uploads from unverified users.
- They implemented some of the strictest "Know Your Customer" (KYC) protocols in the tech world.
Today, if you want to upload a video, you have to hold up your ID and take a selfie. It’s more rigorous than opening a bank account in some countries. Shvets has leaned into this. His whole "vibe" as CEO is about proving that Aylo is the gold standard for safety in a world that mostly wants to see them shut down.
Why the Pornhub CEO Job Is a Political Minefield
Most CEOs worry about their stock price. The Pornhub CEO has to worry about the "PROTECT Act" and various age-verification laws popping up in states like Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia.
When these states passed laws requiring users to upload government IDs just to browse the site, the company made a bold move. They pulled out. If you try to access the site from a restricted state, you’re often met with a black screen and a message about digital rights.
It’s a massive gamble.
On one hand, it’s about user privacy. Asking people to give their driver's license to a porn site is a huge security risk. On the other hand, it’s a political statement. Shvets and his team are basically telling lawmakers, "If you want to censor the internet, we’ll show you what that actually looks like."
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The Technology Gap
Aylo isn't just a video host. They are a massive data and AI company. To keep the site running and compliant, they use advanced machine learning to flag potentially non-consensual content before it even goes live.
Wait. Why does that matter?
Because "safe" is a relative term. For a CEO, "safe" means the site doesn't get sued into oblivion. For the performers, "safe" means they get paid and their content isn't stolen. Shvets has to balance these two groups, and they often want different things. Performers want more visibility and fewer fees; regulators want more barriers and less accessibility.
Misconceptions About the Role
People think the Pornhub CEO is some kind of moral arbiter. They aren't. They are a platform manager.
If you look at the public statements from Aylo’s leadership over the last year, it’s all about "harm reduction" and "legal compliance." They’ve hired experts like Dr. Sharon Cooper, a forensic pediatrician, to advise on safety. They are trying to move the conversation away from "is porn bad?" to "how do we make the internet safer for everyone?"
It’s a smart pivot. By focusing on the technology of safety, they make themselves indispensable. If they can prove their verification tech works better than anyone else's, they aren't just a porn company—they're a compliance company.
What’s Next for Aylo Leadership?
The future of the Pornhub CEO role is going to be defined by two things: AI and Decentralization.
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With AI-generated content (deepfakes) becoming a nightmare for the industry, the leadership is under immense pressure to prevent that stuff from hitting their servers. It’s a game of cat and mouse. Every time they update their detection algorithms, the AI gets better at mimicking real humans.
Then there’s the money. With traditional banks still being flaky, there’s a quiet push toward crypto and alternative payment systems. Shvets hasn't gone "all-in" on Web3 yet, but you can bet it's on the whiteboard in the Montreal office.
Actionable Insights for Observing the Industry
If you’re following the business side of this, keep an eye on these specific indicators:
Watch the Legal Challenges in the EU The Digital Services Act (DSA) in Europe is a much bigger threat to the Pornhub CEO than any US state law. The EU has "Very Large Online Platforms" (VLOPs) designations that come with massive fines for non-compliance.
Monitor the Verification Tech Aylo is likely to license their verification software to other industries. If you see a non-adult site using Aylo’s tech, that’s a sign the company has successfully transitioned into a tech-first entity.
Look at Content Diversification The company is trying to move into more "creator-led" content, similar to OnlyFans. This shifts the liability from the platform to the individual, which is a classic move for a CEO looking to de-risk a business.
Running a company like this is a constant exercise in crisis management. Valeriy Shvets and Ethical Capital Partners have a long road ahead to prove that their version of the "new Pornhub" is sustainable, ethical, and—most importantly for their investors—profitable in a world that is increasingly hostile to their existence.