Twitter's new woke CEO has dumped the head of engineering and chief design officer as he restructures the company following Jack Dorsey's resignation.
Parag Agrawal, who took over as the $11 billion company on Monday, announced that he would be making some major changes to Twitter's team to streamline company operations and accelerate growth.
As a result of his changes, the head of engineering Michael Montano and chief design officer Dantley Davis have stepped down from their lead roles and will leave the company on December 31, 2021, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission filing reporting the move.
Agrawal's company-wide email explained how he wanted to bring together employees who are divided by their job functions and corresponding teams, according to The Washington Post, which exclusively obtained the email.
Agrawal told his staff in his email that he will focus on 'clear decision-making, increased accountability and faster execution,' starting with 'making a number of organizational and leadership changes to best position us to achieve our goals,' as reported by The Post.
Twitter's head of engineering Michael Montano (left) and chief design officer Dantley Davis (right) have stepped down from their positions as a direct result of the company's new woke CEO Parag Agrawal's restructuring
As of Monday, Parag Agrawal (pictured) has been promoted from his four-year-long role as Twitter's chief technology officer to the $11billion company's CEO - a move that was effective immediately after co-founder Jack Dorsey, 45, stepped down via email, which he later tweeted
Agrawal's changes, which will be effective as of December 31, 2021, were outlined in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing (pictured)
Former CEO and co-founder Dorsey was reportedly criticized by investors for moving too slow on money-making developments but insisted that he wasn't pushed out in a resignation letter he tweeted the day he stepped down.
Before the shake-up, for example, engineers, designers and product developers were organized on teams such as consumer product, revenue and research.
'We've all discussed the need for more operational rigor and it must start from the top,' he added.
Agrawal's predecessor was considered a hands-off leader but his resignation still came as a surprise on Monday when he appointed 37-year-old Agrawal, who was serving as Twitter's chief technology officer, the new CEO.
He also noted that Agrawal's appointment was 'unanimous,' after 'the board ran a rigorous process considering all options.'
'My trust in him as our CEO is bone-deep,' Dorsey said. Before signing off, he was sure to note that his 'one wish is for Twitter Inc to be the most transparent company in the world.'
Agrawal seems to be getting right to it and Twitter spokesman Liz Kelley confirmed that the changes to the organizational shift were Agrawal's decision, which is the only reason Montano and Davis' chose to leave the company, according to The Post.
They both tweeted the news of their resignation Friday afternoon.
'An unbelievable ride. So much gratitude,' Montano wrote. Moments later Davis said: 'I love Twitter and the people here! I'm honored to have been part of the journey.'
Montano headed engineering at Twitter since 2011, as stated on his LinkedIn profile. He also founded BackType, a marketing intelligence company, which was acquired by Twitter when he joined the social media giant's team a decade ago.
Meanwhile, Davis' career at Twitter began in 2019. According to his LinkedIn page, he previously was the design director at Netflix before heading product design at Facebook.
Davis was the first Black executive at Twitter to report directly to the CEO and was appointed to detoxify the platform, according to The Post.
According to The Post, the reshuffling will consolidate previously-separate functions under three new divisions: Consumer, revenue and core tech, which will be headed by Kayvon Beykpour, Bruce Falck and Nick Caldwell, respectively.
As stated in the US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, the three men will now take on the titles of 'General Manager.'
Beykpour, who was speculated to be Dorsey's successor, is married to Twitter's senior product management director Sara Beykpour, who announced Friday that she will leave the company at the end of the year before her husband steps into his new position.
Sara will be replaced by Dalana Brand, Twitter's vice president of people experience and head of inclusion and diversity.
Kelley said of the move: 'As the company grows, Parag sees this as a way to bring clarity and cohesion across Twitter.'
She cited Twitter Spaces - the social media site's live audio and chat - as a feature that could benefit from a collaboration between engineers, designers and product managers, as reported by The Post.
Beykpour, in his previous role as head of consumer product, led the launch of Twitter Spaces in November 2020. He also ushered the shutdown of Twitter Fleets in August of this year, which allowed users to post photos, videos and plain text that disappear after 24 hours.
Agrawal was a Twitter veteran himself before stepping into the role of CEO. He joined the company in 2011 and was the mastermind behind several of the social media site's upgrades while Dorsey headed the brand.
Co-founder Dorsey - who became Twitter's first CEO in 2007 - looked to the India-born engineer as his confidant in making major decisions and developing the company's infrastructure.
After climbing the ranks at Twitter, Agrawal earned himself a net worth of $1.52 million. With this promotion, he will receive an annual salary of $1million, plus bonuses, as well as restricted and performance-based stock unit bonuses valued at $12.5 million, according to a company report filed Monday.
Agrawal lives in San Francisco, California, with his wife Vineeta and two-year-old son Ansh, who even has a Twitter account of his own under the username @littleansh
Agrawal shares Dorsey's vision to one day completely decentralize the platform, or let users have more control over data ownership, which would also allow for greater ease in connecting buyers and sellers of cryptocurrency.
In a decentralized market, investors in cryptocurrency would be able to deal directly with each other instead of operating through a third party governing service, such as Twitter.
As the new CEO, Agrawal will also be expected to make calls on matters relating to free speech. His moves will be closely watched by Twitter users. His predecessor faced fierce backlash over
