Jack Dorsey is overhauling the very top ranks of Twitter.
The social networking company plans to announce the appointment of two new board members soon, according to two people familiar with Twitter’s plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details were private. One of the new board members is a high-profile media personality, the people said. Twitter will also appoint a new chief marketing officer.
The new additions are to be accompanied by several departures of Twitter executives. Alex Roetter, Twitter’s senior vice-president of engineering, will soon exit the company, according to three people familiar with the matter. Also exiting will be Kevin Weil, senior vice-president of product, as well as Katie Jacobs Stanton, vice-president of global media, according to these people. A Twitter spokesman declined to comment. Recode earlier reported on the departures. Roetter, Weil and Stanton did not respond to requests for comment.
The shake-up comes as Dorsey attempts to reshape Twitter and rev up its user growth. Twitter’s stock has been in free fall for months, as investors have questioned how useful the service is for people and whether it will become a mainstream hit on the scale of Facebook or Instagram. Shares of Twitter have gone down nearly 55 per cent in the last year.
It is unclear who will fill the positions of those who are leaving. Twitter has long been plagued by a revolving door of executives. Under Dick Costolo, who was the chief executive before stepping down last year, the company also experienced numerous changes, including in the roles of head of engineering and chief financial officer.
Dorsey, who was named Twitter’s permanent chief executive officer in October, has not been shy about making personnel changes since taking over from Costolo. Gabriel Stricker, the company’s chief communications officer, left not long after Dorsey returned. In October, Dorsey announced layoffs at the company.
Twitter also appointed Omid Kordestani, Google’s former chief business officer, as Twitter’s executive chairman, putting the board at eight members. And in late December, the company appointed Jeffrey Siminoff, a former Apple director, as vice-president of diversity and inclusion. The company also promoted Jeff Seibert, who works closely with Dorsey, to lead consumer product. — New York Times News Service
