“Twitter is in the beginning stages of changing its business model,” said Jasmine Engberg, senior analyst at industry research firm eMarketer. “The advertising world is facing real challenges with new privacy and targeting initiatives, and Twitter is testing new revenue streams to strengthen its ad business. and meet the aggressive revenue goals they set last February. … the next CEO will face the challenge of delivering on those goals well.”
Twitter also continues to face questions — and possible new regulations — about how tech platforms handle issues like hate speech and misinformation. As Chief Executive Officer, Dorsey has repeatedly received attention from members of Congress on these and other issues.
Twitter’s potential impact on world events is not lost on Agrawal, who may now face higher levels of attention and scrutiny than himself. In a memo to employees on Monday, Agrawal acknowledged that “the world is watching us right now.”
From software engineer to CEO
“He was my choice for a while because of how deeply he understands the company and its needs,” Dorsey wrote in an internal memo shared on Twitter. “Parag is behind every major decision that turns the company around. He is curious, inquisitive, rational, creative, demanding, self-aware and humble. He leads with all his heart. and soul.”
The board’s decision to appoint him to the role was unanimous, Dorsey said in the memo.
With Twitter’s growing focus on its revenue model, the company may have turned to someone with a background in the business. Instead, the company shows it remains committed to its lead engineers – builders familiar with their products. In that respect, Agrawal’s ascent echoes a familiar theme of Silicon Valley.
As if to emphasize the point, Agrawal appealed to his colleagues, telling them in his first memo as CEO: I am one of you. “I walked in your shoes,” he wrote. “I’ve seen the ups and downs, the trials and the obstacles, the victories and the mistakes.”
The call for solidarity comes as many workers in the tech industry have become more comfortable confronting their employers on a variety of issues, including workplace culture, advocacy climate and company policies. Agrawal suggests in his memo commit to making Twitter a place its employees want to stay.
“I want you to #LoveWhereYouWork,” Agrawal wrote, “and also love how we all work together to have the biggest impact possible.”
Those initiatives largely stemmed from the company’s response to widespread criticism over its handling of misinformation, hate speech, and violent rhetoric — issues that Agrawal will now face. accountable to policy makers and the public.
His answer is an engineer’s answer, and sheds some light on how he envisions the future of Twitter. Agrawal said the company is looking to redirect more towards helping users follow topics “rather than just following people.”
“By following topics, you’re choosing and can get a range of perspectives related to that topic, rather than just a group of voices you’ve chosen to hear,” he says. “And we believe that a more topical, future use of Twitter has the potential to give people more perspectives, a broader range of perspectives, and keep people from falling into a social bubble. filter.”
