MongoDB Appoints Chirantan Desai as CEO after Dev Ittycheria Steps Down

Database leader MongoDB announced the appointment of Chirantan “CJ” Desai as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 10, 2025.

He succeeds Dev Ittycheria, who is retiring from full-time operations after 11 years at the helm and will remain on the board as an advisor.

Desai is a seasoned technology executive with extensive experience in cloud infrastructure, AI and enterprise software. His recent roles include President of Product and Engineering at Cloudflare and top operational leadership at ServiceNow.

“MongoDB has long been the partner of choice for building applications that transform businesses, and now it is uniquely positioned to power the next wave of AI-driven applications,” said Desai. “My directive is clear: by staying relentlessly close to customers, delivering category-defining products, and executing at scale, we can seize the enormous opportunities ahead.”

Board Chairman Tom Killalea expressed strong confidence in the new leader: “CJ brings an exceptional blend of product and engineering leadership … his deep understanding and early deployment of AI in the enterprise will be invaluable as MongoDB continues to deliver for its customers.”

The leadership change comes as MongoDB reports strong preliminary results for Q3 FY26, expecting to exceed the high end of its revenue and earnings guidance, driven by growth in its Atlas cloud database platform.

Investors appear upbeat: with the company’s stock up over 50% year-to-date, Desai’s appointment signals MongoDB's shift into a new phase under AI-driven enterprise growth.