Fostering Relationships and Taking Risks

When Kyle Miller ’14 (BBA) arrived at the University of San Diego (USD) in 2010, he knew one thing — he was going to be successful.

“I think I was a little naïve,” Miller said, laughing. “But it was a good kind of naïve.”

Coming from Northern California’s Silicon Valley, business ran in Miller’s blood. His father was an entrepreneur who ran Silicon Valley’s premiere sales training company, and his stepmother led a marketing firm, so it made sense when Miller chose business administration as his major, while also taking many courses in leadership studies courses.

What Miller hadn’t yet developed was his passion for social change.

During his sophomore year at USD, Miller and his classmates — Negin Mani, Chris Barrett and Adriana Kaplan — began a class project in their leadership in groups course, which evolved into a nonprofit organization, called Lace Up Stand Up, focused on anti-bullying. Continuing the organization after the class ended, Miller gained his first hands-on business experience — building a website, marketing, talking to suppliers and engaging with community partners.

In 2013, Miller and his teammates competed in USD’s Social Innovation Challenge, a contest that awarded cash prizes for student entrepreneurial ventures. Lace Up Stand Up was awarded $4,000.

“I started gaining confidence from my experiences by figuring out how to do things on the job,” Miller said. “Starting a nonprofit was my first real business pursuit, and it led me to discover one of my first business passions: social change.”

Miller became an intern for USD’s Changemaker Hub the summer prior to his senior year. Most of his previous summers were taken up by football training, so this was his first ever internship. During his time with the Changemaker Hub, Miller attended and presented at an Ashoka U conference. Present in the audience, during his presentation, was a person who would give Miller his first big career break after graduating.

“One thing I learned quickly was to build a network of people within and beyond USD,” said Miller. “It took me taking a risk and putting myself out there — like presenting at the conference. Little did I know, Dan Gould was in the audience and he approached me after wanting to chat. I didn’t have much experience myself, but he saw potential in me.”

Leveraging his connections post-graduation, Miller landed his first job leading marketing at Gould’s startup, Tappy. There were eight employees total, including himself, and most of the others all previously worked at MySpace and were highly experienced in technology.

“I got a real education on how technology and business work together. I was like a sponge just trying to take in as much as possible.”

When Tappy was acquired by the dating app, Tinder, in 2014, Miller joined the growing sensation’s 20-person team, as a marketing manager. He led brand partnerships, brand marketing, and international expansion into India, Japan and Australia. After seeing an opportunity for Tinder to expand further, he moved from the marketing side of the house to product management in 2017.

“There was this emerging generation called ‘Gen Z’ that no one really knew about,” Miller said. “We put together a small team of engineers, designers, and analysts, called the ‘Z Team,’ to understand where Tinder’s product needed to adapt to this new and emerging generation.”

Miller’s product work with the Z Team led him being named to Fast Company’s Most Creative in Business and eventually becoming vice president of product at Tinder in 2021. Miller was able to adapt to seven different CEOs during his nearly nine years with the company, all while continuing to grow in his career.

“I experienced many lifetimes at Tinder,” Miller said. “To go from marketing to product management, all while seeing the company grow from 20 people to more than 400, was a truly valuable experience — but it was time to apply that experience to a new challenge.” As the third most tenured employee at Tinder in 2023, Miller recognized it was time for his next adventure.

Enter Yahoo.

Jim Lanzone, who worked with Miller previously as Tinder’s CEO, became Yahoo’s CEO in 2021. He brought Miller on to become the vice president of product for Yahoo Mail, hoping to reinvigorate the faded internet pioneer.

“It’s a very exciting time to be a part of Yahoo right now,” Miller said. “There’s a great mix of people who have been here for a long time and who really understand Yahoo’s roots, and a new crowd coming in with a different perspective who wants to push the envelope on where Yahoo can go next.”

In June of 2024, Miller led Yahoo Mail’s most significant updates to its desktop experience in nearly a decade, all within his first year with the company.

Reflecting on his growth since USD, Miller has one question for his younger self: “What was I so scared of?”

“I’m thankful for being pushed to take risks at USD,” he continued. “I vividly remember JC Rivas Espinosa, PhD, director of social change and student engagement, encouraging me to speak at the Ashoka U conference. Having leaders like JC to give you that nudge you need to take those risks has shown to be so beneficial in the long run.”

Miller advises students: “Find mentors and build your network. Meet people with no intention of asking them for anything. Foster relationships because the business world is smaller than you think and, in the long run, that person could be the one who unlocks your next career opportunity.”

— Kelsey Grey ’15 (BA)