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Criteo

Adtech / retargeting & retail mediaFrance
New to Unitard
📉 Public < $1B
Peak $3.59 BillionToday
−81%
from peak
  1. 🦄
    Became a unicorn
    Oct 2013
  2. 📈
    Peak valuation
    $3.59 Billion ’17
  3. 💔
    Became a Unitard
    Feb 2026
  4. 💸
    Last valuation
    ~$694M
Current status
Listed on Nasdaq (CRTO); redomiciled from France to Luxembourg on July 29, 2026, replacing its ADSs with directly listed ordinary shares; plans to merge into a Delaware holding company on January 1, 2027; Michael Komasinski CEO since February 2025
Live · CRTO· NasdaqGS
as of 2026-10-27
$14.17▼ 7.93% today
≈ $694 Million market cap · −80.6% from peak

The rise & fall

10 moments · 2005–2026

The key moments, with employee sentiment along the way.

2005
Founded in Paris
Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, Franck Le Ouay and Romain Niccoli start the company that becomes a retargeting-ad network.
Wikipedia
Oct 30 ’13
Nasdaq IPO at $31$2B
Priced above a raised range; the first day closes at $35.39, a valuation above $2B.
Global Venturing
May 25 ’17
The peak: about $3.6B$3.59B
A $55.39 close with about 64.8M shares outstanding, per its 10-Q cover.
SEC filing
Dec 2017
Apple's Safari changes bite
After iOS 11.2 limits its tracking, Criteo revises its Q4 outlook and the shares fall nearly 27% midday.
AdExchanger
From the inside · Glassdoor reviews, 2020–24
Employees saw it coming: reviewers repeatedly described a business still dependent on third-party cookies and retargeting, and several said the search for a replacement was slow or unconvincing.
Feb 15 ’25
Michael Komasinski becomes CEO
The former Dentsu Americas chief succeeds Megan Clarken, who retires.
Criteo
Feb 2026
Back below $1B
Six years after a brief dip in the 2020 sell-off, the market value slips under $1B again.
Yahoo Finance
Jul 29 ’26
Moves its legal home to Luxembourg
The ADSs are retired and ordinary shares trade directly on Nasdaq; a Delaware merger is set for January 1, 2027.
SEC filing
Aug 5 ’26
Second outlook cut of the year
Criteo now guides to a 10% to 12% drop in contribution ex-TAC, citing scope changes with two retail media clients.
SEC filing
Oct 27 ’26
Market value near $694M$694M
About $694M at the October 27, 2026 close, roughly 81% below the 2017 peak.
Yahoo Finance
Today
Still in the club — and still trading
Live · CRTO · NasdaqGSas of 2026-10-27
$14.17▼ 7.93% today≈ $694M cap · −80.6% from peak

💬 entries paraphrase anonymous, unverified reviews posted publicly on Glassdoor ↗; dated facts carry their source.

How it happened

Criteo was founded in Paris in 2005 by Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, Franck Le Ouay and Romain Niccoli. It sells retargeting ads that follow shoppers around the web after they visit a retailer's site, and later added retail media, selling ads on retailers' own sites. It listed on Nasdaq in October 2013 at $31 a share.

Its stock closed at $55.39 on May 25, 2017, which with about 64.8M shares outstanding implies a market value of about $3.6B. Later that year Apple's Safari privacy changes cut into the browser cookies its ads relied on.

In December 2017 Criteo lowered its fourth-quarter outlook, and the shares fell nearly 27% in midday trading, AdExchanger reported. The market value dipped below $1B in early 2020, then recovered.

It fell back under $1B in 2026 as Criteo cut its outlook twice, citing reduced work for two retail media clients; in August it guided to a 10% to 12% drop in contribution ex-TAC for the year. Criteo moved its legal home from France to Luxembourg in July 2026 and plans to become a Delaware company on January 1, 2027.

Source: No reported private valuation of $1B or more; peak is a traded Nasdaq market value. Criteo press release (Oct 29, 2013): IPO priced at $31 per ADS, trading from Oct 30. Global Venturing (Oct 31, 2013): first-day close $35.39, valuation above $2B. Yahoo Finance daily closes: all-time high market value on May 25, 2017 at $55.39; Criteo 10-Q (filed May 10, 2017) cover: 64,754,393 shares outstanding at Apr 30, 2017 = about $3.59B (ADSs were one share each). AdExchanger (Dec 2017): shares fell nearly 27% midday after Criteo revised its Q4 outlook following Apple's iOS 11.2 Safari update. Yahoo closes x SEC cover share counts: below $1B in early 2020, back above from Nov 2020, below again from Feb 2026 and continuously since Aug 5, 2026. Criteo Q1 2026 release (May 6, 2026): guidance cut to a low-single-digit Contribution ex-TAC decline, citing scope changes with two Retail Media clients. Criteo Q2 2026 release (Aug 5, 2026, 8-K Ex. 99.1): guidance cut to -12% to -10%. 8-K12B (July 29, 2026): redomiciliation to Luxembourg completed, ADSs surrendered for ordinary shares. 8-K (Aug 5, 2026): merger into Delaware subsidiary Criteo Holdings, Inc. effective Jan 1, 2027. Criteo press release (Jan 14, 2025): Komasinski CEO effective Feb 15, 2025. Yahoo Finance: market cap $694M at the Oct 27, 2026 close.

Founders & leadership

  • Michael Komasinski
    CEO since February 2025
    Still there — Chief Executive Officer and Board MemberLinkedIn ↗
  • Jean-Baptiste Rudelle
    co-founder; former CEO
    No public profile matched
  • Franck Le Ouay
    co-founder
    No public profile matched
  • Romain Niccoli
    co-founder
    Now Co-Founder and Co-CEO at PigmentLinkedIn ↗

Current roles as self-reported on LinkedIn, retrieved 2026-10-27. See our methodology.

Disclosed investors (11)

Historical funding participation; lists may be incomplete and do not establish current ownership or investor losses.

* Lead in a funding round · Crunchbase ↗ · 2026-10-27 · Methodology · Leaderboard

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