Parag Agrawal rose from software engineer to CEO at Twitter over the course of a decade, leading the company during one of the most consequential ownership transitions in social media history.

Career at Twitter

Early Career and Technical Leadership (2011-2017) Agrawal joined Twitter as a software engineer in 2011 after research positions at AT&T Labs, Microsoft, and Yahoo. He completed his doctorate in computer science at Stanford University in 2012. Over the following years, he advanced through technical roles, contributing to the company’s machine learning and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Chief Technology Officer (2017-2021) Appointed CTO in October 2017, Agrawal oversaw Twitter’s technical strategy, including advances in AI and machine-learning technology that contributed to audience growth and platform development. In this role he shaped the technical systems underpinning content recommendation and moderation.

CEO Tenure (2021-2022) On November 29, 2021, Jack Dorsey announced his resignation as CEO, naming Agrawal as his immediate successor. During his tenure as CEO, Agrawal navigated the company through a period of significant public scrutiny and internal change, including Elon Musk’s initial investment in and subsequent bid to acquire the platform.

Role During the Twitter Acquisition

Agrawal led Twitter’s executive team during the months-long acquisition process initiated by Elon Musk in April 2022. The period involved public disputes, legal proceedings after Musk attempted to withdraw from the deal, and internal management challenges. Upon Musk’s completion of the $44 billion acquisition on October 27, 2022, Agrawal was terminated along with several other senior executives.

Post-Twitter

Following his departure from Twitter, Agrawal founded Parallel Web Systems, an artificial intelligence startup focused on building infrastructure for AI agents to interact with the web. The company secured funding from Khosla Ventures, Index Ventures, and First Round Capital.