ASML Holding vs Twilio: Founders, CEOs and History
ASML Holding was founded in 1984 by Philips Electronics, Arthur del Prado and is led by Christophe Fouquet. Twilio was founded in 2008 by Jeff Lawson, John Wolthuis, Evan Cooke and is led by Khozema Shipchandler.
Company facts
ASML Holding
- Founded
- 1984
- Headquarters
- Veldhoven, Netherlands
- Current CEO
- Christophe Fouquet
- Employees
- 44,209
Twilio
- Founded
- 2008
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Khozema Shipchandler
- Employees
- 5,492
Founders
ASML Holding
Philips Electronics
ASML was not founded by an individual with a vision. It was an underfunded joint venture between a conglomerate that wanted a project off its books and a smaller equipment company that wanted into lithography.
Arthur del Prado
Del Prado contribution to ASML was structural and financial rather than technical.
Twilio
Jeff Lawson
Jeff Lawson co-founded Twilio in 2008 and was CEO until January 2024, leading it through its 2016 IPO and the SendGrid and Segment acquisitions. He wrote Ask Your Developer (2021) about developer-led software.
John Wolthuis
John Wolthuis co-founded Twilio in 2008. He architected the initial telephony backend that allowed developers to send text messages and make phone calls using a simple web API.
Evan Cooke
Evan Cooke co-founded Twilio and served as its first CTO. He was instrumental in designing the company's highly reliable cloud architecture, ensuring the API could scale to handle massive, instantaneous spikes in SMS traffic (such as during Uber surges or Airb…
CEOs and their tenures
ASML Holding
- Willem Maris1990–1999
President and Chief Executive Officer
Willem Maris was recruited from the Philips managerial ranks to run ASML in 1990, when the company was still loss-making and dependent on parent funding. His first task was keeping it solvent through the early 1990s downturn.
Source - Doug Dunn1999–2004
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Doug Dunn took over as president and chief executive on April 1, 1999 and ran ASML through the dot-com boom and the sharp semiconductor downturn that followed.
Source - Eric Meurice2004–2013
President and Chief Executive Officer
Eric Meurice was appointed president and chief executive effective October 1, 2004, joining from Thomson where he ran the television division.
Source - Peter Wennink2013–2024
President and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Wennink joined ASML as chief financial officer in 1999 after a career at Deloitte Accountants covering semiconductor clients, and became chief executive on July 1, 2013, leading the company jointly with technology chief Martin van den Brink.
Source - Christophe Fouquet2024–present
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Management
Christophe Fouquet became president and chief executive on April 24, 2024, succeeding Peter Wennink and Martin van den Brink.
Source
Twilio
- Jeff Lawson2008–2024
Co-founder and CEO
As the long-time CEO, he aggressively scaled the company into a $60 billion behemoth before intense pressure from activist investors forced him to resign in 2024 following growth stagnation.
Source - Aidan Viggiano2023–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, she strictly enforces the new profitability mandates, cutting massive amounts of real estate and software expenses across the enterprise.
Source - Khozema Shipchandler2024–present
Chief Executive Officer
Taking over as CEO in 2024, he shifted the company's focus away from unprofitable hyper-growth toward heavily optimizing the highly lucrative core communications platform.
Source
Timeline: ASML Holding and Twilio side by side
1984ASML Holding
Founded as ASM Lithography in Eindhoven
ASM Lithography starts operations on April 1, 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International, with the mandate to commercialize the PAS 2000 wafer stepper developed inside Philips.
1986ASML Holding
PAS 2500 stepper and the Carl Zeiss partnership
ASML brings the PAS 2500 stepper to market with a new wafer alignment system developed by first chief scientist Steef Wittekoek, and establishes the optics partnership with Carl Zeiss that still supplies every ASML lithography system.
1988ASML Holding
ASM International withdraws and Philips funds a rescue
With few customers and heavy cash consumption, ASM International decides to stop funding the joint venture while Philips launches a company-wide cost-cutting program.
1991ASML Holding
PAS 5500 platform turns the company around
ASML launches the PAS 5500 platform, whose productivity and resolution win the first large orders from Intel and IBM under chief executive Willem Maris and take the company to profitability. PAS 5500 systems are still running in customer fabs decades later.
1995ASML Holding
IPO in Amsterdam and on Nasdaq
ASML becomes a fully independent public company with a dual listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Philips sells half of its shares at the IPO and divests the remainder over the following years.
2001ASML Holding
TWINSCAN platform launched and Silicon Valley Group acquired
ASML introduces the TWINSCAN dual-stage architecture, which exposes one wafer while the next is measured and aligned, lifting throughput and overlay accuracy above competing systems.
2003ASML Holding
First immersion lithography system
The TWINSCAN AT:1150i debuts as ASML's first immersion machine, projecting 193 nanometer light through a layer of ultrapure water between the lens and the wafer to raise resolution.
2008Twilio
Company Founded
Jeff Lawson, Evan Cooke, and John Wolthuis founded Twilio and launched its first voice API for developers.
2010ASML Holding
First EUV prototype shipped
ASML ships the TWINSCAN NXE:3100, its first extreme ultraviolet lithography tool, to the research facility of an Asian chipmaker.
2010Twilio
SMS API Launched
Twilio added programmable SMS, which became its largest product line.
2012ASML Holding
Customer Co-Investment Program with Intel, TSMC and Samsung
Intel, TSMC and Samsung acquire newly issued ASML shares equal to an aggregate 23 percent minority stake for ~$4.35 billion (3.85 billion euros) in cash, and separately commit ~$1.56 billion (1.38 billion euros) of R&D funding over five years dedicated to EUV…
2013ASML Holding
Cymer acquisition completed and second-generation EUV shipped
ASML completes the acquisition of Cymer, the San Diego supplier of the light sources used in its lithography systems, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at ~$2.2 billion (1.95 billion euros) when it was agreed in October 2012.
2015Twilio
Authy Acquired
Twilio acquired the two-factor authentication company Authy in 2015.
2016Twilio
NYSE IPO
Twilio listed on the NYSE under the ticker TWLO in June 2016, pricing shares at $15.
2017ASML Holding
EUV enters high-volume manufacturing
ASML begins shipping the production-ready TWINSCAN NXE:3400B after customers started ordering the NXE:3400 generation in batches in 2016, roughly two decades after EUV research began.
2019ASML Holding
Dutch government stops EUV exports to China
The Netherlands does not renew ASML's export licence for EUV systems to China, the start of a widening export control regime.
2019Twilio
SendGrid Acquisition
Twilio completed its all-stock acquisition of email platform SendGrid, announced at about $2 billion.
2020Twilio
Segment Acquisition
Twilio acquired customer data platform Segment for about $3.2 billion, its largest deal.
2021Twilio
Revenue Passes $2.8 Billion
Twilio reported FY2021 revenue of $2.842 billion, up 61% year over year, with a net loss of $949.9 million.
2023ASML Holding
First High-NA EUV system shipped
ASML ships the first of its next-generation EUV systems with a numerical aperture of 0.55, the TWINSCAN EXE:5000, to Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon.
2023Twilio
Restructuring
Twilio cut about 17% of its workforce in February 2023 and made further reductions later in the year as it shifted toward profitability.
2024ASML Holding
Christophe Fouquet becomes chief executive
Peter Wennink and Martin van den Brink step down as presidents of ASML on April 24, 2024 and Christophe Fouquet becomes president, chief executive officer and chair of the Board of Management.
2024Twilio
CEO Transition
Co-founder Jeff Lawson stepped down as CEO in January 2024 and Khozema Shipchandler succeeded him.
2025ASML Holding
Record year, first EXE:5200B and Mistral AI investment
ASML reports total net sales of ~$37 billion (32.7 billion euros), up 15.6 percent, net income of ~$10.8 billion (9.6 billion euros), a gross margin of 52.8 percent and 535 systems sold, and closes the year with a backlog of ~$43.8 billion (38.8 billion euros)…
2025Twilio
First Full-Year GAAP Profit and Stytch Deal
Twilio reported FY2025 revenue of $5.067 billion and net income of $33.8 million, and completed its acquisition of identity platform Stytch on November 14, 2025.
2026Twilio
Growth Re-accelerates
Twilio reported Q2 2026 revenue of $1.50 billion, up 22%, and raised its 2026 revenue growth outlook to 18%-18.5%.
Acquisitions
ASML Holding
- Berliner Glas Group2020Undisclosed
- Hermes Microvision Inc. (HMI)2016$3.1B
- Cymer Inc.2013$2.6B
- Brion Technologies2007$270M
- Silicon Valley Group (SVG)2001$1.6B
Questions about ASML Holding vs Twilio
Who is the CEO of ASML Holding NV and Twilio Inc.?
ASML Holding NV is led by Christophe Fouquet and Twilio Inc. is led by Khozema Shipchandler. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was ASML Holding NV founded vs Twilio Inc.?
ASML Holding NV was founded in 1984 — 24 years before Twilio Inc., which was founded in 2008. ASML Holding NV's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Twilio Inc..
How many employees does ASML Holding NV have compared to Twilio Inc.?
ASML Holding NV employs approximately 44,209 people, while Twilio Inc. employs approximately 5,492. ASML Holding NV has the larger workforce at 44,209 employees, compared to Twilio Inc.'s 5,492. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are ASML Holding NV and Twilio Inc. headquartered?
ASML Holding NV is headquartered in Netherlands and Twilio Inc. is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded ASML Holding NV and Twilio Inc.?
ASML Holding NV was founded by Philips Electronics, Arthur del Prado. Twilio Inc. was founded by Jeff Lawson, John Wolthuis, Evan Cooke.
Which company has a longer operating history — ASML Holding NV or Twilio Inc.?
ASML Holding NV has been operating for approximately 42 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Twilio Inc. has been in operation for around 18 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the ASML Holding vs Twilio overview