Scottsdale AI Paradox firm names new CEO
Aaron Matos has stepped down as CEO of Paradox, a Scottsdale-based unicorn company that makes AI-powered conversational recruiting software.
Matos is succeeded by Adam Godson, who mostly recently served as Paradox’s president. The leadership transition was effective March 11, according to a company release.
Matos told AZ Inno March 13 that he’s stepping down from the CEO role to focus more on Paradox’s innovation and long-term strategy. He will remain with Paradox as an executive chairman and serve as an advisor to Godson and the company.
Matos said he hand-picked Godson to be his successor and they laid the foundation for Paradox’s leadership transition over the past year as Godson took over much of the daily operations while serving as the company’s president.
“It has been clear to me for a long time that Adam would take the company to the next stage,” Matos said in an email. “It’s rare to have a leader as well respected as Adam within the industry and we want to give him more ability to impact the company as CEO.”
Godson joined Paradox in 2020 as chief product officer and was promoted to president in 2023, leading the company’s global product and engineering teams. Prior to Paradox, Godson was chief technology and product innovation officer at Cielo, a global recruitment process outsourcing firm.
Godson’s teams have assisted Paradox in adding hundreds of clients, winning numerous awards and ending 2023 with the “strongest quarter in its history,” according to the company.
In 2023, Paradox was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies nationwide, reporting 720% in revenue growth since 2020. It marks the third year Paradox appeared on the Inc. 5000 list.
“It’s an incredible privilege to follow Aaron as CEO and lead Paradox on our next phase of innovation and growth,” Godson said in a statement. “We’ve seen the impact that conversational AI can have on our clients, and we’re proud of building a different kind of software company — where care for our clients and the candidates we serve is what matters most. I’m excited to carry forward that culture, while continuing to have access to Aaron’s experience and mentorship as we bring new products to market and drive innovation for our clients.”
Godson was not immediately available for comment on the leadership transition.
Paradox was founded in 2016 by Matos, who is the former CEO of Jobing.com and Recruiting.com.
The company’s signature product, Olivia, is a conversational AI assistant that automates early stages of recruiting — including candidate screening, interview scheduling and onboarding — via mobile, chat and text messages.
Since its inception, Paradox has landed some significant clients that include Nestle, McDonald’s, General Motors and Unilever.
In 2021, Paradox hit unicorn status after raising $200 million in a series C round that brought its valuation up to $1.5 billion. At the time, Paradox had more than 400 employees with 150 based in the Valley, the Business Journal previously reported.
As of March, the company has 625 employees and serves more than 1,000 clients worldwide.