WW International Taps Stephen Bye as CEO with $7.6M Equity Package
WW has more than doubled off its 52-week low of $8.365.
Summary
WW International has named Stephen Bye as permanent CEO, ending a five-month interim leadership period. Bye brings subscription-business experience from Ookla and DISH, with a compensation package that includes $7.1 million in equity grants.
Key Events · Executive and Board Changes · WW
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New CEO Appointed
Stephen J. Bye has been named President and CEO and a director, effective on a mutually agreed date on or prior to November 27, 2026. The board size increases from six to seven directors.
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Compensation Package
The employment agreement includes an $850,000 base salary, a 125% target annual bonus, a $1.5 million signing bonus, a $1 million signing RSU grant, a $5.1 million initial equity grant in January 2027, and annual grants of at least 300% of base salary starting in 2028.
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Interim CEO Office Dissolved
The Interim Office of the Chief Executive, in place since April 3, 2026, will dissolve upon Bye's commencement date. CFO Felicia DellaFortuna and COO Jonathan Volkmann return to their permanent roles.
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Leadership Background
Bye most recently served as CEO of Ookla (Speedtest, Downdetector), and previously held senior roles at DISH Network, Sprint, and C Spire. He brings over 30 years of consumer subscription and technology experience.
Analysis · WW · Trade & Services
After a five-month search, WW International has appointed Stephen Bye—a subscription-business veteran from Ookla, DISH, and Sprint—as President and CEO. The board is counting on his record of scaling consumer subscription businesses to reverse the company's 9.6% revenue decline and 22.6% subscriber drop reported in Q1 2026. His compensation is substantial: an $850,000 base salary, a 125% target bonus, a $1.5 million signing bonus, and equity grants valued at $7.1 million over the next two years. The appointment also dissolves the interim CEO office that has been running the company since April 3, 2026, restoring a single permanent leader at a critical juncture for the GLP-1 weight-health strategy.
How filings like this one have moved
In the 30 days to Sep 11, 2026, 30.2% of the 1961 measured filings Wiseek scored 7 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was -0.20%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
Measured one observation per ticker per day, after exclusions. Current figures: Filing Impact Tracker · open dataset
At the time of this filing, WW was trading at $17.99 on NASDAQ in the Trade & Services sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $179.9M. The 52-week trading range was $8.37 to $38.38. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.