The Trade Desk’s CFO Is Out After Just 6 Months on the Job

The Trade Desk has appointed longtime executive Tahnil Davis as interim chief financial officer, to replace Alexander Kayyal who left the company on January 24, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Kayyal, who joined The Trade Desk as CFO in August 2025, will remain on the company’s board through its 2026 annual shareholder meeting, the filing said.

Davis, who has served as the company’s chief accounting officer since 2023, stepped into the interim CFO and principal financial officer roles effective Jan. 24. The company said it plans to launch an external search for a permanent finance chief, per the filing. 

Davis has been with The Trade Desk since 2015, holding a series of senior finance roles including senior vice president of finance and senior vice president, chief accounting officer.

The Trade Desk did not disclose additional details beyond the SEC filing. 

The leadership change comes at a moment of heightened scrutiny for adtech companies as marketers reassess spend amid shifting signal loss, pressure on programmatic pricing and increased competition from rivals like Amazon. 

Wells Fargo kept an Equal Weight rating on The Trade Desk with a $42 price target following the company’s CFO transition and reaffirmed fourth-quarter outlook. Shares were down about 7% in morning trading.

In a research note, the firm said the departure of Kayyal—who joined the company roughly six months ago—adds to what it described as “continued fundamental and narrative volatility.” The bank said leadership turnover could be making it harder for The Trade Desk to counter competition from Amazon’s DSP, which has snagged millions in ad dollars from the company, ADWEEK previously reported. 

Wells Fargo added that the company should prioritize a finance chief with public company CFO experience, noting neither of its prior CFOs had that background.

The Trade Desk is expected to report earnings on Feb. 25 and has said it anticipates fourth-quarter revenue in line with its earlier projection of $840 million.