Rocket Companies has named former Meta and Intuit executive Alessio Sanfilippo chief executive officer of Redfin, placing a product, data, and artificial intelligence veteran in charge of the real estate brokerage as Rocket works to connect more of the homebuying process within one platform.
Sanfilippo’s appointment was effective immediately, the company announced Monday.
He succeeds Rocket Companies CEO Varun Krishna, who had served as Redfin’s interim CEO since Glenn Kelman stepped down in January. Kelman led Redfin for more than 20 years and remained an adviser through April 1.
Sanfilippo joins Redfin from Meta, where he served as vice president of insights for Reality Labs. He led global teams across data science, data engineering, and user research and helped develop the market for Meta’s AI-enabled wearable glasses, according to Rocket.
He previously led data and user research for WhatsApp, contributing to the product’s U.S. growth strategy as it surpassed 100 million monthly active users in the country.
Before joining Meta, Sanfilippo led data and analytics at Intuit, applying AI and machine learning across TurboTax and QuickBooks. His earlier leadership roles included positions at SAP, GoSeek, Hotwire, and United Airlines.
“Millions of people begin thinking about homeownership on Redfin, often months before they ever talk to a lender,” Krishna said. “I worked with Alessio at Intuit and saw firsthand how he combines deep analytical thinking with a real instinct for the consumer.”
Krishna said Sanfilippo will help Rocket connect “home search, brokerage, mortgage, closing and servicing into one experience.”
The choice of a technology and consumer-product executive rather than a traditional real estate brokerage leader signals where Rocket sees Redfin’s value. Redfin gives Rocket access to prospective buyers during the home-search phase, before many have chosen a mortgage originator.
Rocket completed its $1.75 billion acquisition of Redfin in July 2025. The transaction brought Redfin’s home-search platform and real estate agents together with Rocket’s mortgage origination, closing, and servicing operations.
That integration has since moved from corporate strategy to consumer-facing offers. In May, Rocket Mortgage and Redfin introduced Super Savings, which provides eligible consumers with as much as $20,000 in combined lender credits and real estate commission savings when they use multiple services within the Rocket ecosystem.
For loan originators, Rocket’s strategy illustrates how competition for a mortgage increasingly begins before a consumer submits a loan application. By pairing Redfin’s home-search traffic with brokerage services, financing incentives, and Rocket’s servicing portfolio, the company is attempting to steer consumers through more of the transaction inside a single ecosystem.
NMP recently examined the early economics of that strategy after Rocket reported that its mortgage flywheel was beginning to produce purchase-market and recapture gains.
Sanfilippo said he has used Redfin for more than a decade, including during multiple home purchases.
“I still remember the pride I felt buying my first home,” Sanfilippo said. “Redfin has always helped make an intimidating process easier to understand. I’m excited to work with this team and combine what Redfin has built with Rocket’s capabilities to make finding, buying, and owning a home simpler for millions of people.”
