Hostinger names Zakaitis CEO to accelerate AI-first shift

Hostinger has appointed Giedrius Zakaitis as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a strategic shift toward an AI-first business model. Zakaitis, previously the company’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, replaces Daugirdas Jankus, who will remain at Hostinger to oversee strategic projects. The leadership change reflects Hostinger’s broader transformation from a traditional hosting provider to a platform leveraging artificial intelligence to simplify digital operations for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

Zakaitis, who joined Hostinger 14 years ago as a customer support specialist, has played a central role in the company’s product evolution. His tenure includes leading Zyro, Hostinger’s website-building subsidiary, which was later rebranded and integrated into the parent company as Hostinger Website Builder. Under his leadership as Chief Product and Technology Officer, Hostinger launched four AI-driven products in the past year, including Hostinger Horizons, an AI-powered coding tool, and Reach, an email marketing platform. Another tool, Kodee, evolved from a customer service chatbot into an AI agent capable of performing over 500 administrative tasks, reportedly saving Hostinger €14 million in operational costs in 2026.

Leadership transition and strategic focus

The CEO transition underscores Hostinger’s commitment to embedding AI across its product suite and internal operations. Zakaitis emphasized the company’s goal of making digital tools accessible to non-technical users, stating that AI should handle the "hard parts" of building and managing online businesses. His vision aligns with Hostinger’s recent financial performance, which saw 51% year-over-year revenue growth in 2025, reaching €275.4 million. In 2026, the company was ranked second in the Financial Times & Statista Long-term Growth Champions: Europe 2026 report, which highlights sustained revenue growth over a decade.

Daugirdas Jankus, who led Hostinger through this period of expansion, expressed confidence in Zakaitis’s ability to drive the company’s AI agenda. "Giedrius has led product brilliantly and is the right person to run the whole company and turn AI’s potential into real growth," Jankus said. Zakaitis echoed this sentiment, framing AI as an extension of Hostinger’s customer-centric approach. "Agents and bots now create more of the internet’s traffic than people do, and we’re building for them too," he noted, emphasizing that AI tools should serve both end-users and their automated agents.

What the shift means for Hostinger’s future

Hostinger’s pivot to an AI-first model reflects a broader industry trend, where hosting providers are leveraging artificial intelligence to differentiate their offerings. The company’s focus on SMBs positions it to compete with larger players by offering AI-driven automation that reduces the technical barriers to running an online business. Tools like Kodee, which can manage IT systems and administrative tasks, suggest a future where AI agents handle routine operations, freeing users to focus on growth.

However, the transition also presents challenges. Hostinger will need to balance automation with user trust, particularly as AI agents gain deeper access to customer systems. The company’s ability to scale its AI tools while maintaining reliability and security will be critical to its long-term success. Additionally, as competitors like GoDaddy and IONOS expand their own AI capabilities, Hostinger’s execution of its strategy will determine whether it can maintain its growth trajectory.

For now, the leadership change signals Hostinger’s intent to prioritize AI as a core driver of innovation. With Zakaitis at the helm, the company is likely to accelerate the development of AI-powered features, potentially expanding beyond hosting and website-building tools into broader business automation solutions. How these efforts translate into market share and revenue growth will be a key metric to watch in the coming years.