X Corp (formerly Twitter)
Company History
X Corp (formerly Twitter) History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2006 in San Francisco, California, United States
When was X Corp (formerly Twitter) founded?
X Corp (formerly Twitter) was founded in 2006 in San Francisco, California, United States by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass, making it 20 years old.
- Founded
- 2006
- Founding place
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Founders
- Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass
- Headquarters today
- Bastrop, Texas
- Milestones documented
- 12 (2006–2026)
- Current CEO
- Elon Musk
- Acquisitions
- 5
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Twitter Founded |
| 2010 | Dick Costolo Becomes CEO |
| 2013 | Twitter IPO |
| 2015 | Jack Dorsey Returns as CEO |
| 2017 | 280-Character Limit |
| 2021 | Parag Agrawal Becomes CEO |
| 2022 | Elon Musk Acquires Twitter |
| 2023 | Twitter Rebrands to X |
| 2025 | xAI Acquires X |
| 2025 | Linda Yaccarino Resigns |
| 2026 | SpaceX Acquires xAI |
| 2026 | SpaceX IPO |
- Where was X Corp (formerly Twitter) founded?
- X Corp (formerly Twitter) was founded in San Francisco, California, United States in 2006.
- Who founded X Corp (formerly Twitter)?
- X Corp (formerly Twitter) was founded by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass.
- When did X Corp (formerly Twitter) start?
- X Corp (formerly Twitter) was founded in 2006.
- How old is X Corp (formerly Twitter)?
- X Corp (formerly Twitter) is 20 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Twitter was born in 2006 out of the ashes of Odeo, a failed podcasting startup utterly destroyed when Apple launched iTunes podcast support. Desperate for a pivot during a company hackathon, Jack Dorsey pitched an idea heavily inspired by SMS text messaging and AOL instant messenger status updates: a platform where users could text a short status to a single number, which would then be broadcast to all their friends. The strict 140-character limit was a direct technological constraint of SMS text messages at the time. What began as a simple status updater quickly evolved, fundamentally driven by its users (who invented the @ reply and the # hashtag), into the absolute real-time pulse of global news and politics.
Founders
Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey co-founded Twitter in 2006. As a brilliant but eccentric programmer, he famously sent the absolute first tweet ('just setting up my twttr'). He served two highly controversial stints as CEO, fiercely defending the platform's chronological timeline and minimalist design before being ousted by activist investors, eventually turning his total focus to Bitcoin and Block (Square). Jack Dorsey was born in 1976 in St. Louis. Education: New York University; Missouri University of Science and Technology; Bishop DuBourg High School.
Evan Williams
Evan Williams co-founded Twitter in 2006. Having already created and sold Blogger to Google, he provided the critical early venture capital and product vision. He served as an early CEO, aggressively pushing the platform to become a massive global news network before engaging in a bitter, highly publicized power struggle with Dorsey. Evan Williams was born in 1972 in Clarks. Education: University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Biz Stone
Biz Stone co-founded Twitter in 2006. As the critical creative and communications visionary, he designed the absolute core brand aesthetic (including the iconic Larry the Bird logo) and fiercely defended the platform's early chaotic, free-speech ethos during incredibly turbulent global events like the Arab Spring. Biz Stone was born in 1974 in San Francisco. Education: Northeastern University; Wellesley High School; University of Massachusetts Boston.
Noah Glass
Noah Glass is credited with the name 'twttr' and with pushing the early project inside Odeo. He left in 2006, before Twitter took off. Nick Bilton's 2013 book 'Hatching Twitter' brought his role wider attention. Noah Glass was born in 1981.
Key Milestones
Twitter Founded
Twitter is created inside Odeo by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams.
Source: sec.govDick Costolo Becomes CEO
Dick Costolo succeeded Evan Williams as chief executive of Twitter in October 2010.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJack Dorsey Returns as CEO
Co-founder Jack Dorsey returned as permanent chief executive in October 2015.
Source: en.wikipedia.org280-Character Limit
Twitter doubled its character limit to 280 in November 2017.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgParag Agrawal Becomes CEO
Parag Agrawal succeeded Jack Dorsey as chief executive in November 2021.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgElon Musk Acquires Twitter
Musk completes the roughly $44B buyout in October and takes Twitter private.
Source: washingtonpost.comLinda Yaccarino Resigns
Linda Yaccarino steps down as CEO of X on July 9, 2025.
Source: theguardian.comSpaceX IPO
SpaceX, X's ultimate parent, begins trading on Nasdaq as SPCX on June 12, 2026.
Source: ir.spacex.comMajor Acquisitions
Twitter Take-Private by Elon Musk
2022Take Twitter private under Musk's ownership.
Laskie
2023Tech hiring and job-matching platform (first acquisition by X Corp).
Periscope
2015Live video streaming app (acquired by Twitter).
Vine
2012Short-form video hosting service (acquired by Twitter).
Summize
2008Improved real-time search capabilities (acquired by Twitter).
Keep researching X Corp (formerly Twitter)
X Corp (formerly Twitter) Company History FAQ
When, where, and how was Twitter originally founded?
Twitter was founded in March 2006 in San Francisco, California, by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams as a side project within podcasting company Odeo, sending the first tweet on March 21, 2006.
When did Twitter go public on the stock exchange?
Twitter completed its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol TWTR in November 2013, raising $1.8 billion at a valuation of $14.2 billion.
How did Elon Musk acquire Twitter in 2022?
Elon Musk accumulated a 9.2% stake in early 2022, offered to buy the company for $54.20 per share ($44 billion), attempted to terminate the deal over spam bots, and was sued in Delaware Chancery Court before closing the $44B take-private transaction on October 27, 2022.
Why did Elon Musk rebrand Twitter to X in July 2023?
Musk retired the iconic blue bird logo and name to transform the platform into 'X, the everything app'—a universal digital town square incorporating messaging, video, audio, creator monetization, and peer-to-peer financial payments.
How drastically did staff headcount change after the acquisition?
Elon Musk reduced Twitter's workforce by approximately 80%, cutting staff from around 7,500 employees to roughly 1,500 through mass layoffs and resignations to halt severe corporate cash burn.
When did X relocate its corporate headquarters to Texas?
In mid-2024, Elon Musk announced the relocation of X's global headquarters from its historic Mid-Market building in San Francisco to Bastrop and Austin, Texas, citing California regulatory legislation.
Who served as CEO of X following the take-private buyout?
Elon Musk served as initial CEO following the buyout until appointing former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino as Chief Executive Officer in May 2023, while Musk continued to lead product and technology.
How does X integrate with Elon Musk's xAI and Grok?
X partnered with Musk's artificial intelligence venture xAI, integrating the Grok AI assistant directly into X Premium subscriptions and analyzing real-time platform posts for news summaries.
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