Johnson & Johnson vs Twilio: Founders, CEOs and History
Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 by Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, Edward Mead Johnson and is led by Joaquin Duato. Twilio was founded in 2008 by Jeff Lawson, John Wolthuis, Evan Cooke and is led by Khozema Shipchandler.
Company facts
Johnson & Johnson
- Founded
- 1886
- Headquarters
- New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Current CEO
- Joaquin Duato
- Employees
- 140,800
Twilio
- Founded
- 2008
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Khozema Shipchandler
- Employees
- 5,492
Founders
Johnson & Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson (1845-1910) co-founded Johnson & Johnson in 1886 and served as its first president.
James Wood Johnson
James Wood Johnson (1856-1932) co-founded J&J with his brothers in 1886. An engineer by trade, he designed the early manufacturing machinery that allowed the company to mass-produce sterile surgical dressings.
Edward Mead Johnson
Edward Mead Johnson (1852-1934) co-founded J&J in 1886, bringing crucial sales and marketing expertise to the early business.
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
Johnson & Johnson
- Ralph Larsen1989–2002
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Larsen's acquisitions, including Neutrogena, Cordis, DePuy, and Centocor, broadened J&J into medical devices and biologics, laying groundwork for today's MedTech segment and immunology franchise.
Source - William Weldon2002–2012
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Weldon's later years were overshadowed by a wave of consumer product recalls, including Tylenol and Motrin, tied to manufacturing-quality problems.
Source - Alex Gorsky2012–2022
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Gorsky's tenure set up the 2023 Kenvue separation completed under his successor and saw J&J's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized in 2021. He also oversaw the $30 billion Actelion acquisition in 2017 and the early years of talc litigation.
Source - Joaquin Duato2022–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Under Duato, J&J's sales reached $94.193 billion in FY2025 with $26.804 billion in net earnings, and the company guides to its first $100 billion year in 2026. He also launched the DePuy Synthes separation and the 2026 talc settlement proposal.
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: Johnson & Johnson and Twilio side by side
1886Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson Founded
Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson found the company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with 14 employees, to mass-produce sterile surgical dressings after Robert was inspired by antiseptic pioneer Joseph Lister's 1885 warnings about i…
1920Johnson & Johnson
Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages Introduced
J&J introduces the first mass-produced adhesive bandage, sold under the Band-Aid brand starting in 1921; it becomes one of the most recognized consumer-health brands in the world before J&J later spins its consumer division out as Kenvue in 2023.
1943Johnson & Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson II Writes 'Our Credo'
Chairman Robert Wood Johnson II authors 'Our Credo,' a one-page statement ranking the company's responsibilities to customers, employees, communities, and shareholders in that order; it remains J&J's official governing philosophy and was later cited as the bas…
1944Johnson & Johnson
J&J Goes Public
Johnson & Johnson lists publicly, becoming an independent, market-traded company as it expands into a diversified healthcare business under Chairman Robert Wood Johnson II.
1982Johnson & Johnson
Tylenol Cyanide Poisonings and Nationwide Recall
After seven people in the Chicago area die from cyanide-laced Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules, J&J issues a nationwide recall of 31 million bottles within a week -- far beyond what investigators said was necessary -- citing Our Credo's customer-safety priority…
2008Twilio
Company Founded
Jeff Lawson, Evan Cooke, and John Wolthuis founded Twilio and launched its first voice API for developers.
2010Twilio
SMS API Launched
Twilio added programmable SMS, which became its largest product line.
2012Johnson & Johnson
Alex Gorsky Becomes CEO
Gorsky succeeds William Weldon as CEO amid a period of manufacturing-quality recalls, and spends the next decade restoring J&J's operational reputation while expanding the pharmaceutical and MedTech businesses and developing a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine duri…
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.
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.
2022Johnson & Johnson
Joaquin Duato Becomes CEO
Duato becomes CEO in January 2022, later adding the chairman title, and begins preparing the separation of J&J's consumer-health business from its medicine and device operations.
2023Johnson & Johnson
Kenvue Separation
J&J completes the spinoff of its consumer-health business (Band-Aid, Tylenol, Listerine, Neutrogena) as the standalone public company Kenvue, narrowing J&J around its higher-margin Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments.
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.
2024Twilio
CEO Transition
Co-founder Jeff Lawson stepped down as CEO in January 2024 and Khozema Shipchandler succeeded him.
2025Johnson & Johnson
FY2025 Sales of $94.193B
Johnson & Johnson reports $94.193 billion in sales and $26.804 billion in net earnings, split roughly 64% Innovative Medicine and 36% MedTech, both segments growing about 6% year over year.
2025Johnson & Johnson
Orthopaedics Separation Announced
In October 2025 J&J announced plans to separate its orthopaedics business as a standalone company operating as DePuy Synthes, targeting completion in 2027.
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.
2026Johnson & Johnson
Proposed Talc Resolution and Raised Guidance
J&J raised 2026 sales guidance to about $101.1 billion after Q2 sales of $25.31 billion, and on July 27, 2026 proposed an estimated $5.5 billion resolution of remaining ovarian talc claims.
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
Johnson & Johnson
- Intra-Cellular Therapies2025$14.6B
- Shockwave Medical2024$13.1B
- Kenvue separation2023Undisclosed
- Abiomed2022$16.6B
- Actelion2017$30B
Questions about Johnson & Johnson vs Twilio
Who is the CEO of Johnson & Johnson and Twilio Inc.?
Johnson & Johnson is led by Joaquin Duato 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 Johnson & Johnson founded vs Twilio Inc.?
Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 — 122 years before Twilio Inc., which was founded in 2008. Johnson & Johnson'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 Johnson & Johnson have compared to Twilio Inc.?
Johnson & Johnson employs approximately 140,800 people, while Twilio Inc. employs approximately 5,492. Johnson & Johnson has the larger workforce at 140,800 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 Johnson & Johnson and Twilio Inc. headquartered?
Both Johnson & Johnson and Twilio Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Johnson & Johnson and Twilio Inc.?
Johnson & Johnson was founded by Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, Edward Mead Johnson. Twilio Inc. was founded by Jeff Lawson, John Wolthuis, Evan Cooke.
Which company has a longer operating history — Johnson & Johnson or Twilio Inc.?
Johnson & Johnson has been operating for approximately 140 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 Johnson & Johnson vs Twilio overview