Pinterest CEO Bill Ready’s contrarian decisions, including turning off social features for teens, led to short-term stock drops but delivered sustained growth.

On its first-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Pinterest's CEO, Bill Ready, said Gen Z users are engaging heavily with the image-sharing platform. Gen Z are those who were born between 1996 and 2010.

Instead, the move helped Pinterest, with Gen Z now representing over 40% of its user base who view the platform as “an oasis away from toxicity.” ...