Jack Dorsey resigns as Twitter CEO
CTO Parag Agrawal takes the reins as Dorsey also plans to leave board position


Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey has resigned as CEO of Twitter. His replacement is Parag Agrawal, who joined Twitter in 2011 and has been CTO since October 2017.
In a resignation letter posted to Twitter, Dorsey said that he was leaving because he wanted the company to move beyond the influence of its founders.
"There's a lot of talk about the importance of a company being 'founder-led'," he said. "Ultimately I believe that's severely limiting and a single point of failure. I've worked hard to ensure this company can break away from its founding and founders."
He pointed to a solid team as the reason for leaving now. His trust in Agrawal runs "bone deep", he said, also citing the appointment of Salesforce president and COO Bret Taylor to the role of Twitter chair as a factor. Taylor joined the Twitter board in 2016 at Dorsey's request.
Dorsey will also leave the Twitter board in or around May this year.
"I want you all to know that this was my decision and I own it," Dorsey said. "There aren't many founders that choose their company over their own ego."
RELATED RESOURCE
What should we do about training and development?
Sample our exclusive Business Briefing content
Dorsey founded Twitter in 2006 and left in 2008, founding payments company Square, of which he is still CEO. He returned to Twitter as executive chairman in 2011 and then took over as CEO in 2015. He took the company from revenues of $774.8m in fiscal 2015 to $3.72bn in fiscal 2020.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Along the way, Twitter faced congressional scrutiny over content moderation policies and misinformation. He also pushed an initiative to decentralize Twitter with an initiative called Bluesky.
Twitter has suffered some financial setbacks recently, missing Wall Street expectations with its Q3 results last month. The company, which sold its mobile ad unit last month, reported revenue of $1.28bn for the quarter but an $800 million lawsuit settlement in September pushed losses to $537 million. The lawsuit alleged that the company had misled investors on engagement numbers. Its stock has plunged from $66.11 on October 18 to $48.68.
The stock price ramped 10% early on Monday following reports of Dorsey's resignation.
Danny Bradbury has been a print journalist specialising in technology since 1989 and a freelance writer since 1994. He has written for national publications on both sides of the Atlantic and has won awards for his investigative cybersecurity journalism work and his arts and culture writing.
Danny writes about many different technology issues for audiences ranging from consumers through to software developers and CIOs. He also ghostwrites articles for many C-suite business executives in the technology sector and has worked as a presenter for multiple webinars and podcasts.
-
What is polymorphic malware?
Explainer Polymorphic malware constantly changes its code to avoid detection, making it a top cybersecurity threat that demands advanced, behavior-based defenses
-
Outgoing Kaseya CEO teases "this is just the beginning" for the company
Opinion We spoke to Fred Voccola who remains a key figurehead at the firm as it enters its next chapter...
-
Who owns the data used to train AI?
Analysis Elon Musk says he owns it – but Twitter’s terms and conditions suggest otherwise
-
Elon Musk confirms Twitter CEO resignation, allegations of investor influence raised
News Questions have surfaced over whether Musk hid the true reason why he was being ousted as Twitter CEO behind a poll in which the majority of users voted for his resignation
-
Businesses to receive unique Twitter verification badge in platform overhaul
News There will be new verification systems for businesses, governments, and individuals - each receiving differently coloured checkmarks
-
Ex-Twitter tech lead says platform's infrastructure can sustain engineering layoffs
News Barring major changes the platform contains the automated systems to keep it afloat, but cuts could weaken failsafes further
-
‘Hardcore’ Musk decimates Twitter staff benefits, mandates weekly code reviews
News The new plans from the CEO have been revealed through a series of leaked internal memos
-
Twitter could charge $20 a month for 'blue tick' verification, following Musk takeover
News Developers have allegedly been given just seven days to implement the changes or face being fired
-
Twitter reports largest ever period for data requests in new transparency report
News The company pointed to the success of its moderation systems despite increasing reports, as governments increasingly targeted verified journalists and news sources
-
IT Pro News In Review: Cyber attack at Ikea, Meta ordered to sell Giphy, new Twitter CEO
Video Catch up on the biggest headlines of the week in just two minutes