logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2021
22m 24s

Twitter verifies a new CEO

THE WASHINGTON POST
About this episode

What Jack Dorsey’s departure from Twitter means for Silicon Valley, the platform and its dedicated users. And how the new CEO, Parag Agrawal, could change the direction of the company. 


Read more:


In a casually written tweet Monday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that he would be stepping down from his position. As the company’s co-founder, he’s been a Silicon Valley icon for 15 years, and he leaves behind a complicated legacy. Tech reporter Will Oremus says that his departure is shrouded in mystery and that the resignation letter he posted to Twitter did not explain whether he was voluntarily leaving the company or was ousted by investors. 


Dorsey’s replacement is Parag Agrawal, the company’s former chief technology officer. While he’s well-liked by staff, he was an unexpected pick to head one of Silicon Valley’s most fraught and politically embroiled social media companies — and it’s up in the air whether his limited experience will limit his ability to navigate important and thorny questions around content moderation. 

Up next
Yesterday
The Supreme Court opens the door to mass federal layoffs
On Tuesday the Supreme Court lifted an order by a lower court that prevented the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers. While the order was unsigned – meaning that the justices have not yet ruled on its legality – this is one of several recent decision ... Show More
18m 12s
Jul 8
How Trump's media war came for CBS
Donald Trump has spent the past decade waging war on the media. That has included filing frequent lawsuits against media organizations whose coverage he views as unfavorable. Those lawsuits have been largely unsuccessful, until recently. Last week, Paramount announced it was sett ... Show More
29m 28s
Jul 7
Why devastation struck Texas's 'flash flood alley'
In just three hours, water levels in Central Texas rose over 30 feet, surprising local communities that say they had little time to prepare and no warning. What ensued was one of the most destructive floods the region has seen in decades.Colby Itkowitz speaks with extreme weather ... Show More
24m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
Twitter in the Time of Elon Musk
It was long awaited, and some doubted that it would ever come to pass, but last week, the tech billionaire Elon Musk officially took over Twitter.The platform was once the place of underdogs, a public square that allowed users to challenge the moneyed and powerful. Is that about ... Show More
25m 8s
Aug 2020
Jack Dorsey on Twitter's Mistakes
It’s been four years since the 2016 election laid bare the powerful role that social media companies have come to play in shaping political discourse and beliefs in America.Since then, there have been growing calls to address the spread of polarization and misinformation promoted ... Show More
39m 58s
Nov 2022
It’s been a wild ride for Twitter under Elon Musk. What’s next?
It’s been a wild ride these past two weeks with Twitter under the ownership of Elon Musk, including Musk showing up at Twitter headquarters with a sink and laying off half of the company’s global staff. Just about every day there’s a new headline about what’s happening in the com ... Show More
11m 4s
Nov 2021
Jack Dorsey exits Twitter
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/b6aa92ea-4a07-4423-acbe-deacad5313a5 Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey stepped down as the company’s chief executive on Monday, and an activist investor has called on commodities giant Glencore to spin off its the ... Show More
9m 19s
Aug 2022
Coming soon: Elon Musk vs. Twitter
How it Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter is a first-of-its-kind newsroom collaboration featuring exclusive reporting on the rise of Elon Musk to become world's richest man, the parallel rise of Twitter as the global public square, and the collision of these two titans this year. Th ... Show More
1m 35s
Apr 2022
Twitter’s Elon Musk Problem
Elon Musk’s recent investment in Twitter has turned a high-profile and frequent user of the platform into the company’s largest stakeholder.At first, the involvement of Mr. Musk, the C.E.O. of Tesla, was seen by the social media giant as a chance to gain a powerful ally. Instead, ... Show More
29m 1s
Jul 2023
Peak social media: Trouble at Twitter
Elon Musk took over Twitter with the promise of promoting free speech and making the loss-making platform profitable again. But his critics say he’s destroying Twitter’s culture and driving it to bankruptcy. How much danger is the company really in? In the first episode in a new ... Show More
29m 28s