Early Life
Ryan Cohen was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1986, to a Jewish family. His father, Ted Cohen, was an importer of glassware, which provided an early exposure to business operations. Cohen began his entrepreneurial journey at age 15, building websites for local businesses.
Rise to Success
Cohen founded Chewy (originally Mr. Chewy) in 2011, drawing inspiration from his personal experiences as a pet owner. He served as the CEO, growing the company to $3.5 billion in revenue before selling it to PetSmart for $3.4 billion in 2017. After leaving Chewy in 2018, Cohen made significant investments and became an activist investor, notably acquiring a substantial stake in GameStop in late 2020.
Key Business Strategies
At Chewy, Cohen implemented a customer-service focused strategy, which he called "Zappos on steroids", Chewy's sales increased from $2.1 billion to $3.5 billion between 2017 and 2018. At GameStop, he has been directing the company's transformation towards e-commerce and strategic investments, including a Bitcoin purchase in 2025. Cohen is known for his willingness to challenge conventional business practices and focus on shareholder value.
Philanthropy
Cohen's philanthropic activities remain largely undisclosed, with no major public foundations or donations prominently attributed to him.