Assertion certainty 4/5 debate potential 1/5

Diao answered 500 support tickets during her first week at Pinterest

Sandy Diao · 20Growth: How to Build a Paid Marketing Machine: ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) 101 | The Rise of User Generated Content and How to Use It | TikTok Ads: Expectations vs. Reality | Hiring for Growth: When and Who with Sandy Diao · Oct 24, 2025 · at 6:07

Sandy Diao shares her experience joining Pinterest in its early days on Brandon Street in San Francisco.

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“One of the first things that I did in that first week was Basically answer 500 support tickets.”

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