Jeremy King said he will be responsible for Pinterest’s discovery engine, which recommends posts and images to users. King previously led Walmart Labs, where he helped the world’s largest retailer adopt shelf-scanning robots and introduce in-store order pickup. (CNBC)

Talking point: King’s hiring reflects Pinterest’s growing e-commerce ambitions as it prepares to go public. He grew e-commerce sales by 40 per cent last year, partly through a deal Instacart to offer same-day delivery for groceries. Pinterest already offers a “buy” button through which retailers can sell items, and made nearly US$1 billion from ads last year. Pinterest can help retailers target consumers interested in their products more precisely than competitors, because users indicate what they’re interested in by “pinning” posts. But it faces renewed competition from Instagram, which launched an in-app checkout feature this week.