Twilio vs Unilever: Founders, CEOs and History
Twilio was founded in 2008 by Jeff Lawson, John Wolthuis, Evan Cooke and is led by Khozema Shipchandler. Unilever was founded in 1929 by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens and is led by Fernando Fernandez.
Company facts
Founders
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…
Unilever
William Hesketh Lever
William Hesketh Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) co-founded Lever Brothers with his brother James in 1885 and built it around Sunlight Soap, one of the first branded, individually wrapped soaps sold at mass scale.
Samuel van den Bergh
Samuel van den Bergh led Van den Bergh, a Dutch margarine maker that became one of Jurgens' main rivals. The two families combined their businesses into Margarine Unie in 1927, and Margarine Unie merged with Lever Brothers in 1929 to create Unilever.
Anton Jurgens
Anton Jurgens' family firm was among the first to manufacture margarine commercially in the Netherlands after the product was invented in France. Jurgens competed for decades with the Van den Bergh family before the two merged into Margarine Unie in 1927.
CEOs and their tenures
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
Unilever
- Alan Jope2019–2023
Chief Executive Officer
Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.
Source - Hein Schumacher2023–2025
Chief Executive Officer
Schumacher reset Unilever around fewer, bigger brands and set up the Ice Cream demerger before stepping down in February 2025.
Source - Fernando Fernandez2025–present
Chief Executive Officer
As CFO, the highly experienced Latin American executive enforces absolute financial discipline, attempting to restore investor confidence after years of sluggish stock performance.
Source
Timeline: Twilio and Unilever side by side
1884Unilever
Lever soap factory opens
William Hesketh Lever built the Port Sunlight soap business that became a key Unilever predecessor.
1929Unilever
Unilever created
Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie merged to form Unilever.
1929Unilever
Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie Merge
Lever Brothers and the Dutch Margarine Unie merged in 1929 to form Unilever.
1984Unilever
Acquired Brooke Bond
Unilever acquired Brooke Bond in 1984 for ~$515 million (£390 million).
1989Unilever
Acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics
Unilever acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics in 1989.
1993Unilever
Acquired Breyers
Unilever acquired Breyers in 1993.
2000Unilever
Acquired Maille
Unilever acquired Maille. Unilever acquired Maille in 2000.
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.
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.
2019Unilever
Alan Jope becomes CEO
Alan Jope became CEO of Unilever in 2019. Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.
2020Twilio
Segment Acquisition
Twilio acquired customer data platform Segment for about $3.2 billion, its largest deal.
2020Unilever
Legal structure unified
Unilever moved to a single parent company structure after decades with British and Dutch holding companies.
2020Unilever
Single Parent Company
Unilever unified its dual structure into a single parent company, Unilever PLC, in November 2020.
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.
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.
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.
2025Unilever
Fernando Fernandez becomes CEO
Fernando Fernandez was appointed CEO effective March 2025.
2025Unilever
Ice Cream demerger reflected
Unilever reported 2025 results on a continuing-operations basis after the Ice Cream business demerger.
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
Unilever
- Dr. Squatch2025Undisclosed
- Wild2025Undisclosed
- Minimalist2025Undisclosed
- Paula's Choice2021Undisclosed
- Sir Kensington's2017Undisclosed
- Weis2017Undisclosed
Questions about Twilio vs Unilever
Who is the CEO of Twilio Inc. and Unilever PLC?
Twilio Inc. is led by Khozema Shipchandler and Unilever PLC is led by Fernando Fernandez. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Twilio Inc. founded vs Unilever PLC?
Unilever PLC was founded in 1929 — 79 years before Twilio Inc., which was founded in 2008. Unilever PLC'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 Twilio Inc. have compared to Unilever PLC?
Twilio Inc. employs approximately 5,492 people, while Unilever PLC employs approximately 96,092. Unilever PLC has the larger workforce at 96,092 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 Twilio Inc. and Unilever PLC headquartered?
Twilio Inc. is headquartered in United States and Unilever PLC is headquartered in United Kingdom. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Twilio Inc. and Unilever PLC?
Twilio Inc. was founded by Jeff Lawson, John Wolthuis, Evan Cooke. Unilever PLC was founded by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens.
Which company has a longer operating history — Twilio Inc. or Unilever PLC?
Unilever PLC has been operating for approximately 97 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 Twilio vs Unilever overview