Hoby Darling

Hoby Darling
Born
Seth Darling

Cashmere, Washington, U.S.
Education
OccupationBusiness executive
EmployersPreviously:
TitlePresident of Riot Games
Term2025–present
Board member of

Seth "Hoby" Darling is an American business executive and former lawyer currently serving as the president of video game developer Riot Games. He has served in corporate roles within apparel, sports, and technology companies.

Early life and education

Darling was raised in Cashmere, Washington, and attended Cashmere High School.[1] Growing up, he aspired to be a high school teacher and football coach.[2] He attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, graduating in 1997 with a BA degree in history. He then attended law school at the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University, graduating with a JD.[3][4] Darling also graduated from the Berkeley–Columbia Executive MBA program in 2008,[5] resulting in an MBA degree from both the Haas School of Business and Columbia Business School.[6] He has returned to the Western Washington University campus to speak with students about his career.[7][8]

Career

As a lawyer, Darling worked for the Latham & Watkins law firm from their office in Orange County, California. He took over their account with apparel brand Volcom in 2004, and advised the company during its initial public offering process. Darling was offered a job by Volcom's chairman in 2005, becoming their general counsel and vice president of strategic development.[5] He worked at Volcom until 2011, when he joined Nike. At Nike, he served as general manager for Nike+ Digital Sport—the digital innovation division of Nike that released Nike+ Kinect Training—and on the leadership team for Nike Affiliates, a group including Converse and Hurley.[9][2]

In 2013, he was named the chief executive officer of Skullcandy, a headphones company.[9] At Skullcandy, he implemented the three-word mantra "people, culture, and values" as the company foundation, and implemented exercise into the company culture through employee participation in events like Spartan Race and Tough Mudder. He embraced the company's position as an underdog relative to Beats by Dre, Sony, and Bose, and took on athletes as brand ambassadors.[10]

Darling began working for Logitech in 2017, where he served as an executive in the esports division.[11] As of 2020, he was serving on the boards of directors for Skullcandy and Ragnar Relays.[4] In 2023, he was appointed to the board of mattress brand Purple Innovation, Inc.[12] In 2025, it was announced that Darling would be moving on from Logitech to serve as the president of Riot Games,[13] the Tencent-owned developer of Valorant and League of Legends.[14]

Personal life

In his personal life, Darling is also a CrossFit instructor and competes in CrossFit competitions. While working for Skullcandy in Park City, Utah, he attended CrossFit sessions four days a week. He also consumes a flexible paleo diet. In 2025, he and his wife had daughters aged fifteen and eighteen.[15]

References

  1. ^ Moraga, Sebastian (April 16, 2015). "School roundup". Cashmere Valley Record. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  2. ^ a b Bessette, Chanelle (July 17, 2014). "10 Questions: Hoby Darling, CEO, Skullcandy". Fortune. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  3. ^ "Skullcandy CEO to speak on campus Dec. 1". WWU News. Western Washington University. November 26, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "2015 Distinguished Alumni". The Foundation for WWU & Alumni. Western Washington University. May 1, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Your Haas Network: Seth "Hoby" Darling, BCEMBA 08" (PDF). CalBusiness. No. 77. Haas School of Business. Summer 2011. p. 14.
  6. ^ "Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA Program to Close in 2013". CBS Newsroom. Columbia Business School. March 23, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  7. ^ Freitag, Jennifer (December 2, 2014). "Skullcandy CEO, Western alumnus shares business experience" (PDF). The Western Front. Vol. 169, no. 19. p. 4.
  8. ^ "College of Humanities and Social Sciences" (PDF). Admissions. Western Washington University. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  9. ^ a b Brettman, Allan (March 18, 2013). "Skullcandy names Nike+ executive Hoby Darling as next CEO". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  10. ^ Burns, Mark J. (October 20, 2014). "Full Attack: How The Audio Company Skullcandy Competes With The Big Three". Forbes. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  11. ^ McEvoy, Sophie (April 30, 2025). "Jobs roundup: April 2025 | Riot Games appoints Hoby Darling as president". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  12. ^ "Board of Directors". Governance. Purple Innovation, Inc. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  13. ^ "Hoby Darling joins Riot Games as its next President". News. Riot Games. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  14. ^ Kerr, Chris (April 22, 2025). "Hoby Darling named president of League of Legends developer Riot Games". Game Developer. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  15. ^ Murphy, Jen (December 30, 2013). "Hoby Darling, the CEO of Skullcandy Inc. and His CrossFit Workouts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
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