Everyone old enough to use the social media application X knows that the app has had a history of changes. From the early days of Twitter, its ownership changed hands and became X. Therefore, to understand the app’s history, it’s important to learn about Twitter founders.
Since its inception in San Francisco, Twitter has grown and amassed widespread usage worldwide. Thus, if you use the app, knowing the founders and how their ideas influenced social media development would be beneficial. Keep reading to learn about the originators of Twitter and how the social network began.
Who Are the Founders of Twitter?
Jack Patrick Dorsey and Evan Clark William are Twitter’s two most popular founders. However, most people are only familiar with the name Jack. But he isn’t the only brain behind the existence of Twitter. He worked with others who played crucial roles in the birth of the app. Let’s learn about their contributions to the establishment of Twitter.
1. Jack Patrick Dorsey
Jack Dorsey is the main founder of Twitter because he came up with the idea for the app. His initial idea was to develop a social media company that functioned like the Short Messaging Service. However, this app would facilitate communication between a group of individuals rather than between a sender and receiver.
The programmer Jack Dorsey presented this idea to Odeo, a podcast company that embraced it. Jack Dorsey, along with a contractor, then built the prototype of Twitter for Oreo staff. Thus, Twitter started as a side project under Odeo to share brief updates with family and friends.
The Odeo crew began working on the Twttr project in February 2006. By March 21, Jack Dorsey published the first tweet. Fast-forward to July, when the team launched Twttr, making it fully functional with a 180-character limit.
From 2006 to 2008, Jack Dorsey was Twitter’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Evan Williams became CEO in 2008, while Jack Dorsey became the Chairman. However, in 2015, Jack Dorsey reassumed the CEO position until 2021.
2. Evan Clark Williams
Several people played important roles in creating the Twitter service. Evan Williams and other individuals bought Odeo and its assets, making it a party to the Obvious Corporation. But before all this, he was a member of the initial team that created the social networking service Twitter.
While Jack Dorsey took the lead, Evan Williams, the founder of Pyra Labs, was also involved with the Twitter project. Evan Williams assisted Jack Dorsey in creating Twitter’s prototype and served as CEO from 2008 to 2010.
Even after this, he continued as a company board member. He also helped build a product strategy, invested heavily in the Twitter project, and secured funds from investors.
However, despite contributing to the app’s creation, he withdrew from the company’s board in 2019.
Are There Any Twitter Co-Founders?
Yes, apart from the major founders, some co-founders contributed to the development of Twitter. These individuals functioned in different capacities to enable the realization of the project. Find below the co-founders and how their contributions influenced Twitter’s creation.
1. Biz Stone
Biz Stone was working in Odeo in 2007 when Jack Dorsey introduced the idea of an online text messaging app. Along with Jack Dorsey and Evan Williams, he started the Obvious Corporation, Twitter’s predecessor.
As a software engineer, his efforts were crucial to building the prototype. Furthermore, at the time of Twitter’s launch, Biz Stone was the project’s creative director.
Thus, he was the first in a long line of Twitter’s creative directors. Though he left in 2011, he rejoined Twitter in 2017 and stayed for a year. That year, Biz Stone improved the company’s culture and promoted community engagement.
Additionally, he improved the user interface design and experience, making the platform more enjoyable for users. His contribution helped make Twitter a real-time social network that facilitates global conversations.
2. Noah Glass
Noah Glass, the founder of Audioglass, played a substantial role in creating the now-popular app Twitter. One of his major contributions is the name of the social network.
He coined the initial name Twttr from the word Twitter. The developers felt the word Twitter perfectly represented their digital product. However, since the domain name Twitter was in use, Noah Glass suggested Twttr.
Interestingly, it remained the project’s codename until six months later, when the team bought the domain name. By purchasing the domain name, they gained legal access to the name Twitter.
Noah Glass also helped the project by recruiting early developers and integrating SMS into Twitter. He also provided technical guidance, which was invaluable to establishing the social network.
Twitter Founders’ Net Worth
Twitter became a successful venture, leading to financial gains for its founders. Even after retiring from actively managing the project, they’d still receive dividends thanks to their shares.
Despite selling Twitter to Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey retained 2.3% of the company’s shares. Likewise, Evan Williams, the co-founder, has 1.9% of the shares, and Biz Stone has 1.5%. Noah Glass left Twitter in 2006 and is the only co-founder without shares. However, he received a payout of $4.000.000 in 2008.
But apart from Twitter, the founders and co-founders, being developers, own and lead other major projects. As a result, you may wonder about their net worth. That said, find below the last known estimates of how much the founders of Twitter are worth:
- Jack Dorsey – $4.9 billion
- Evan Williams – $1.9 billion
- Biz Stone – $250 million
- Noah Glass – $11 million
Twitter shares remain a significant part of their net worth except Noah Glass, who left without retaining shares. However, the other founders also benefit from other social media sites, apps, and investments.
For example, Evan Williams owns shares on the blogging platform Medium, which he created. Biz Stone also reaps financial rewards from his search engine application, Jelly.
The founders’ net worth increases as Twitter grows exponentially by the day. Thanks to Elon Musk, Twitter users can boost their income through monetization. Therefore, active users should produce valuable content to gain engagement and earn from their views. And if you’re not a user, you should create a Twitter account.
Twitter’s Leadership Change
Twitter’s founders kept expanding the app, which led to massive growth. By 2022, Twitter had 100 million users. Its rapid growth attracted investors, some of whom were interested in buying the company. Due to this, Twitter’s value on the stock market increased, and share prices rose.
Elon Musk showed interest in purchasing the company, and negotiations began. However, he pulled out after some months, only to indicate interest again later.
On October 22, Elon Musk bought Twitter, which led to the transition from Twitter to X. Apart from the name change, Elon Musk’s acquisition made Twitter a private company with a new structure.
Having the majority of shares, Elon Musk became the new CEO. He introduced new executives from his other companies to help him manage Twitter effectively.
He appointed a new Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, and Chief Financial Officer, among others. Elon Musk personally appointed these individuals to handle the corporation’s affairs.
Shortly after, he stepped down as CEO in 2023 and appointed Linda Yaccarino to assume the position. However, Elon Musk remains the owner of X. The leadership change led to new and exciting initiatives that improved the platform for users.
Despite critics’ claims that the platform supports hate speech, Twitter now X continues to thrive. With new features to experience, such as Twitter Blue and a longer character limit, its subscribers are on the rise. Therefore, despite the leadership and structural changes, the platform thrives as Elon Musk envisions a better future.
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A team of great minds came together to create the amazing social media platform Twitter, which later transitioned to X. From its inception until the present, Twitter now X has gained massive popularity with millions of users worldwide.
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FAQ
Who were the original founders of Twitter?
Four people founded Twitter: Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. However, people fondly regard Jack Dorsey as the primary owner of Twitter and the one who developed the idea.
When did the founders create Twitter?
Twitter originated in 2006. Although the project began in March, its official launch was in July. At the time of launching, the app was “twttr”. The founders changed the name from twttr to Twitter in October 2006.
Who owns Twitter in 2024?
Elon Musk, the business magnate, is the current owner of Twitter. He bought the company in 2022 and made notable changes, including changing its name to X.
