MongoDB CEO Desai leaves for Meta, Ittycheria returns as interim chief
Dev Ittycheria, who ran MongoDB as President and CEO from 2014 to 2025, takes over immediately while a search firm looks for a permanent successor
Published · Updated
UpdateMonday, September 28, 2026 at 9:35 AM ET
MongoDB shares are down 26% in Monday trading following news of Desai's departure for Meta.
MongoDB said Chirantan "CJ" Desai has stepped down as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, to take a senior role at Meta Platforms. The board named Dev Ittycheria interim President and CEO, also effective immediately.
Ittycheria previously ran MongoDB as President and CEO from 2014 to 2025. A search firm is helping the board find a permanent successor.
MongoDB reaffirmed its guidance for the third quarter and full fiscal year 2027, first given on September 1, 2026.
The change comes as MongoDB is executing well: the company beat expectations sharply in its most recent quarter and is tracking toward its full-year targets. Bringing back Ittycheria, who built the company over more than a decade, limits near-term uncertainty about direction. But the abrupt exit still injects leadership instability at a moment when investors were rewarding steady execution, in a software market where competitors are not standing still.