/June 26, 2024 8:11 pm EST X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, is one of the biggest websites on the Internet. According to Pew Research, Twitter currently ranks in the top 10 of social media platforms, wedged between Snapchat and Reddit in terms of popularity, and is among the most viewed websites in the world. Twitter was launched in 2006 by Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. Initially, the trio came together in 2004 to create a podcasting company called Odeo. Williams and Stone were former Google employees, while Williams was the mind behind Blogger. Once Apple integrated podcasts into iTunes in 2005, the trio decided to take the company in another direction since they likely couldn't compete with Apple. Leadership asked the staff about any side projects they were working on, and engineer Jack Dorsey proposed the idea that would eventually become Twitter — although it was first known as Twttr. Experts have credited Twitter with helping to shape the Internet as we know it today. Twitter helped bring politicians onto social media and the service is even seen as an important part of Barack Obama's successful 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. The site couldn't have gotten where it is today without a range of important people, and we're going to talk about what they've been up to since they worked at Twitter. Evan 'Ev' Williams Joe Raedle/Getty Images Jack Dorsey is arguably the most public figure in Twitter's history. Before Twitter, Dorsey worked on software for taxi dispatching services that eventually evolved to handle emergency vehicles and couriers as well. He was one of the first employees of Odeo, where he pitched the idea that would eventually become Twitter. As a result, he ended up being the company's first CEO until 2008, at which point Ev Williams took over the CEO role and Dorsey became chairman of the board. There, he helped with Twitter's IPO, which raised $1.8 billion for the company. Dorsey returned to helm Twitter in 2015 where he stayed until his eventual permanent departure in 2021. He faced equal parts criticism and praise for his removal of Donald Trump from the platform in 2020. Upon his 2021 exit, he posted his resignation letter on Twitter, where he said that being a founder-led company was severely limiting for the platform. He passed the reigns onto Parag Agrawal, who had a tough time running Twitter before Musk bought it in 2022. In addition to Twitter, Dorsey is linked to several other high-end business endeavors. He founded Square, the payment platform used by many small businesses. It was rebranded as Block in 2021 and Dorsey remains in charge of it to this day. He also became a member of the Disney Company board of directors in 2013 and stayed until 2018. Dorsey was also joined the board of Bluesky – another Twitter rival – before leaving in early 2024. Dick Costolo