We want to reintroduce James, Foursquare’s new General Counsel
Congratulations on your promo! What are you most excited about as you step into this role?
Thank you! I’ve really enjoyed my past three years at Foursquare – first as Senior Commercial Counsel and then as Associate GC, Head of Commercial Legal – but becoming GC has been on my bucket list since my law school days. Although leading our Commercial Legal team has been the most rewarding role I’ve ever had, I am incredibly honored and excited to dive in as GC and to help Foursquare navigate its next great chapter. I care deeply about Foursquare’s future and the people here and have had the privilege of working alongside so many dedicated, talented and exceptional people at this company. As GC, I think I’m most excited by the opportunity of getting closer to the more impactful decisions directing Foursquare’s future, and I look forward to continue leveraging my experience as a commercial lawyer, looking for ways to create and preserve incremental value for the business, whether through our evolving GTM strategy, strategic growth opportunities, protecting the company’s assets or minimizing risk.
You’ve been here a little over 3 years now. What excites you the most about the company’s current direction?
Over the past few years, Foursquare has navigated significant macroeconomic, industry, and regulatory shifts. We’ve optimized our product offerings and restructured our teams to better position us for long-term growth. These changes have enabled us to become a more agile and focused organization and I’m optimistic as we see encouraging signs that Foursquare is poised for continued success. I’ve sensed a palpable and refreshing shift in momentum at the company with the recently announced launches of our highly anticipated Sales Impact measurement product and our new and improved Places Pro point-of-interest product, as well as the renewed growth in hiring for our engineering and sales teams. I think 2025 is going to be a great year for us.
Privacy is a cornerstone of Foursquare. How do you see us leading in the space?
Foursquare loves a good pivot, and we’ve done it again – this time, with privacy as the main driver. We are nearly two years into a major overhaul of our core product line to stay ahead of the avalanche of state and federal regulations pertaining to privacy and location. Companies that fail to innovate in response to these regulatory trends and evolving privacy standards won’t survive. Foursquare has sought to maintain its leadership in privacy by investing heavily in the development of privacy-forward aggregated analytics products that safeguard consumer identity and personal information while still delivering necessary value and insight for our customers.
What is your favorite leadership principle and how do you see that exemplified on the legal team?
Owners Over Occupation is hands down my favorite Foursquare Leadership Principle, and I think it’s one of the leadership principles I’ve seen best exemplified day in and day out by our legal team. I watch the team approach their role as advisors to and guardians of the business with an ownership mentality, not as clock punchers. They exhibit a sense of shared responsibility and accountability for the well-being and success of Foursquare. My team really cares about what Foursquare is doing and how we’re doing it, understands the importance of good stewardship and acting with integrity, and recognizes that the way Foursquare does business is a reflection on all of us.
Are there any emerging legal trends that you see having the biggest impact on Foursquare in the near future?
I think AI is going to continue to revolutionize how we live and work and we’re only seeing the tip of that iceberg. It would be extremely short-sighted for any enterprise – but especially one such as Foursquare operating in the tech space – to disregard the necessity of leveraging AI to some degree to remain relevant and competitive. There are so many potentially beneficial and harmful ways to use and deploy AI and along with that will come attempts at regulating its use. Given how rapidly this technology is evolving, it will be nearly impossible for legislation and regulation to keep up and get this right without being either ineffective or overly prescriptive. Nevertheless, it will be up to us to both stay on top of a changing patchwork of AI regulation and to self regulate to ensure that we’re using AI ethically and for good and not contributing to some dystopian future. Just because we can do something, should we?
Another legal trend that may likely impact Foursquare in the near future is the rise in antitrust enforcement cases taking place in Big Tech, particularly in the AdTech space. If the outcome of these cases is to create a more level playing field, then I would anticipate beneficial ripple effects and opportunities for other players in the AdTech ecosystem, including Foursquare.
When employees join Foursquare, they’re always asked to share a fun fact. You talked about your love of escape rooms in the past, so we’re going to ask a different question. What superpower would you want and why?
I’ve really enjoyed my kids at each stage of their childhoods and watching them grow into good humans (they’re about to turn 14 and 12), but I often wish I had the superpower to slow down time or jump back in time to be able to enjoy those phases over and over again. They are growing up so fast and will be venturing out into the world before long, and I’m honestly not ready for it at all. I know I sound like my parents saying it, but I’m really feeling the truth of it these days, especially as my son will be heading to high school next year. By the way, I’ve passed on my love of escape rooms to both of them – and together, we remain an unstoppable team.
