Thread by @nedsegal

Thursday concluded 5 years @twitter. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such an incredible group of people building the world’s town square for all of our stakeholders. The work isn’t complete, but we made meaningful progress.

I have great hope for @twitter. At its best, it democratizes communication and knowledge, ensuring accountability and equal distribution of info. It’s a huge responsibility for everyone that shares in the work. I wish them strength, wisdom, and foresight.

Thanks to the incredible work of thousands, we doubled audience & revenue, and affirmed our potential to inform and inspire conversations all around the world about news, sports, politics, music, entertainment, markets, and the rest… while driving $TWTR from ~$17 to $54.20.

Yet digital ads is at a crossroads, driven by the economy, the shift from linear to digital, public policy, and the ads ecosystem. People are accustomed to trading privacy for access, and as digital ads matures, fewer platforms may have more info and control.

Meanwhile, the commercial internet is ~30, and @twitter is 16! The printing press also took decades to evolve from misinformation and the need for standards to incredible knowledge and idea sharing across oceans and borders. Internet norms are still forming and I’m optimistic.

The past 6 months have pulled on every mental muscle I’ve developed in 48 years. You learn so much when times are challenging and unpredictable, when we are tired or feel our integrity questioned. Our team remained kind, respectful, and steadfast. They’re lifelong friends.

Thank you to my former colleagues, partners, advertisers, shareholders, board, and the people that use @twitter. Thank you to my family, especially @Mayalangersegal, my prom date, wife, and best friend, our amazing kids, and my mentor, friend, hero, and dad, @EdwardDavidSeg1.

The last 5 years have been the most fulfilling of my career. The people, the potential, and the importance of Twitter. The shifts in technology, politics, culture. This will be hard to beat… but after catching my breath, I’m going to try! In the meantime, see you on @twitter!