For nearly five years, Rita Vinnik lived at the heart of one of the most powerful and finely tuned machines in the digital world: TikTok. In her senior role at the company, she led the platform’s global creator community, worked with the world’s top creators and partnered with brands such as Nike, Adidas, Google, Amazon and Netflix. It was a career path many would have stayed on for another decade without hesitation. Then came October 7.
Now, as she steps into her new role as global chief marketing officer at the Israeli startup Dreemz, Vinnik is ready to speak openly about what broke along the way, what stopped exciting her and what she believes artificial intelligence will never be able to take from humans.
Her resignation was not driven by a cold business calculation or a more lucrative offer, but by a personal turning point — one that does not always show up on LinkedIn. Vinnik does not speak like an executive chasing the next exit, but like someone searching for meaning.
After four and a half years at TikTok, what made you stop and ask whether you were still in the right place in your career?
“I’m a creator by nature. I love building things that don’t yet exist. At a certain point at TikTok, I felt I had finished building and hit a wall. It wasn’t a crisis, more a sense of saturation. I found myself less curious, less interested in how to sell another ad or close another deal with one corporation or another.”
And that led you to the field of artificial intelligence?
“Yes, but not from the flashy angle. I saw a lot of apocalyptic discourse around AI, a lot of ‘doomers’ dominating the conversation. I wanted to ask a completely different question: What good things can we do with this technology, and where can it genuinely help people?”
How much did Oct. 7 influence your decision to leave?
Vinnik does not deny TikTok’s power or the impact she had there. On the contrary. “It was an amazing job. I learned so much and met extraordinary people. And still, I felt it had become a workplace that was less right for me.”
“Oct. 7 was a moment that changed many things for me, as a Jewish woman who is very proud of her Judaism. Suddenly, I looked differently at the meaning of what I do and where I want to invest my energy.”
“Colleagues from all over the world wanted to understand what I was going through and wanted to help, but they didn’t really grasp how our lives as Jewish scientists and creators are intertwined with the lives of Israelis. That’s not something you can easily explain to someone who doesn’t live it.”
Did you feel a shift in how you were treated as a Jewish woman in the tech industry?
“Honestly? Not really. And that’s interesting in itself. First of all, I look Latina, Italian, kind of petite and dark, so no one knows or guesses my background. Sometimes that protects you, sometimes it’s just strange. I also didn’t give it too much attention.”
Vinnik acknowledges that her Jewish-Ukrainian identity is not always visible on the surface, but it runs deep. She speaks of a family of refugees and of historical memory — in other words, an identity that does not disappear, even when it is not always seen.
Someone as experienced and accomplished as you could easily land a role at one of the big tech giants. Why choose a startup like Dreemz?
“Because it aligned exactly with my philosophy. I love people and learning about people. In that sense, Dreemz is not trying to build AI that replaces humans, but technology that empowers them. That really drew me in on an ideological level.”
How do you define responsible use of AI?
“For me, AI should multiply human work capabilities, not replace people. When you think realistically about what AI can take from us, there are two things it cannot truly replicate: experience and intention. Those are human.”
“Even when systems can imitate patterns of experience,” she adds, “the source remains human. There is no limit to imagination, creativity and human experience in that sense. The real danger is using AI to make decisions in places where human judgment is required. That’s where we must stop.”
And where should AI be used?
“In places where it frees up our time. Just as Duolingo can help you learn a language but not replace human connection, the same applies to AI systems. Technology should work for us, not instead of us. That’s also where my connection with Dreemz comes in, especially with founder Yuval Manzura.”
“The people at Dreemz are simple, in the best sense of the word. People who build something good with their technology without losing their truth. After everything I’ve done and my professional experience, it became clear to me very quickly.”
So are you optimistic about the future of AI?
“Let’s put it this way — I’m cautious. It’s easy to be optimistic and say AI will only do us good. But the truth is more complex. Like the Industrial Revolution, there will be people left behind. The car driver replaced the horse-drawn carriage driver — that was inevitable.”
“But, and this is important, the boundaries shift. This is a moment of testing for many people, and if you give them the right tools, they will find ways to use them in ways we didn’t anticipate. That carriage driver may have stopped driving, but maybe he got a license for a motor vehicle, or maybe he became a doctor. Humans always find purpose.”
Turning dreams into reality
The Israeli app Dreemz aims to turn dreams into reality. It may sound unusual at first, but the idea behind it is simple — and notably charming. Users write down their dream and within seconds, AI breaks it into an actionable plan with milestones, alongside a supportive community that connects them with people who have already done it and can help along the way. Dreemz is currently running a crowdfunding campaign in partnership with Exit Valley.
Yuval Manzura, CEO of Dreemz, says Vinnik’s arrival was a perfect match. “Beyond the impressive skills and extensive network she brings, Rita also brings an exceptional personality and an energy that makes her a pleasure to work with. Together, we are building a safe social network for personal growth that allows millions of people around the world to dream big — and achieve it.”
Manzura points to hundreds of dreams already realized through Dreemz: families who traveled around the world, someone who documented himself running a marathon barefoot, business dreams such as opening a gel nail clinic and more. So far, 140,000 users have joined the app and more than 120,000 dreams have been logged, with 2.5 percent marked as fulfilled. Manzura is convinced this is only the beginning. “We’re on the way to 100 million users within four years.”