Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is leaving after 16 years

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is leaving the social media platform he co-founded 16 years ago.

Dorsey announced the news on Twitter (via a tweeted screenshot of an email, naturally) early on Cyber Monday. He named the company’s chief technology officer Parag Agrawal to succeed him as CEO, and it seems like he won’t accept another role at Twitter.

not sure anyone has heard but,I resigned from Twitter pic.twitter.com/G5tUkSSxklNovember 29, 2021

In the statement, Dorsey explained that while he would stay on the company’s board until ‘May-ish’ to help Agrawal through the transition to CEO, he would leave thereafter to make sure the company “can stand on its own, free of its founder’s influence or direction.”

Dorsey leaves behind a social media platform that has become one of the most influential discussion spaces on the internet, for better and worse. Agrawal inherits a Twitter that continues to struggle with what it will and will not permit on the platform; famously, former US President Trump used the platform as a pulpit to announce policy before (or in place of) official statements, elevating Twitter to international diplomatic mouthpiece.

In his own tweeted statement, now-CEO Agrawal expressed gratitude, cited his ten years of work as an engineer at Twitter in its earlier days, and stressed collaboration on the company’s next steps.

Deep gratitude for @jack and our entire team, and so much excitement for the future. Here’s the note I sent to the company. Thank you all for your trust and support 💙 https://t.co/eNatG1dqH6 pic.twitter.com/liJmTbpYs1November 29, 2021