Meet Parag Agrawal, the Indian tech wizard who is the new CEO of Twitter
Parag Agrawal joins the likes of Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella as Indian-origin CEOs running the biggest tech companies in the world.
Twitter’s co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey has stepped down, paving way for another Indian tech wizard to be at the helm of one of the world’s tech giants. Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s Chief Technology Officer has been promoted as its new Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.
Dorsey said, “I've decided to leave Twitter because I believe the company is ready to move on from its founders. My trust in Parag as Twitter's CEO is deep. His work over the past 10 years has been transformational. I'm deeply grateful for his skill, heart, and soul. It's his time to lead.”
Parag Agrawal, IIT alumnus, joins the likes of Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella as Indian-origin techies at the help of the biggest tech companies of the world. A Computer Science and Engineering graduate from IIT Bombay, Agrawal is a PhD from Stanford University. He then worked with Microsoft, Yahoo and AT&T Labs before joining Twitter.
Having joined Twitter a decade ago as Distinguished Software Engineer, he grew to first become CTO and now CEO. In his earlier role, Agrawal looked after the technical strategy and supervision aspect of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) across the consumer, revenue and science teams for Twitter. He was also in-charge of the Bluesky vision of Twitter for an open and decentralised social media.
Parag Agrawal is married to Vineeta Agarwala, who is a physician and adjunct clinical professor at Stanford School of Medicine, as per her Twitter profile. The couple lives in San Francisco in California, United States. Agrawal has posted several pics of them together and with friends on Twitter. The couple have a small boy named Ansh Agrawal.
As per an email from outgoing CEO Jack Dorsey, Parag Agrawal’s appointment was done after the board undertook a “rigorous process considering all options” to unanimously appoint him. Dorsey further wrote that Agrawal had been his “choice for some time, given how deeply he understands the company and its needs.”
“Parag has been behind every critical decision that helped turn this company around. He's curious, probing, rational, creative, demanding, self-aware, and humble. He leads with heart and soul and is someone I learn from daily. My trust in him as our CEO is bone-deep,” added Jack Dorsey in the email.
After the news of him being promoted to CEO, Agrawal wrote to Dorsey, “I am honoured and humbled. And I'm grateful for your continued mentorship and your friendship. I'm grateful for the service that you built, the culture, soul, and purpose you fostered among us and for leading the company through really significant challenges.”
Pics courtesy: Twitter/ @paraga