Twitter Names Google’s Omid Kordestani Executive Chairman
A day after laying off nearly 8% of its staff, Twitter picks longtime Google executive to lead its board of directors.
Twitter has named Omid Kordestani, Google’s former chief business officer, executive chairman of its board of directors.
Kordestani, Google employee 11, according to his LinkedIn profile, started with Google in 1999, eventually heading up worldwide sales and business development before leaving the company in 2009. He returned to Google in August 2014 to become chief business officer until he left that position this August to become senior advisor to Google and its new parent company Alphabet.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced his move to Twitter with a series of tweets:
?⚡️ Today we’re appointing @OmidKordestani to the Twitter Board of Directors to serve as our Executive Chairman!
— Jack (@jack) October 14, 2015
Omid is a proven & experienced leader, who will directly help & coach me and our leadership, and help us recruit the best folks to Twitter.
— Jack (@jack) October 14, 2015
A great chairperson is the first step towards continuing to make our Board one of the best in the world, and purpose-built to serve Twitter. — Jack (@jack) October 14, 2015
The announcement came a day after Twitter laid off 336 people, about eight percent of its workforce, and a week after Dorsey was named permanent CEO of the company. Google CEO Sundar Pichai thanked Kordestani for his service on Twitter:
Thank you @omidkordestani for all the great years and wish you the very best @twitter https://t.co/n6u7r7nhBx
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) October 14, 2015
And Kordestani, who had tweeted only eight times before today, used Twitter to introduce himself:
Excited to work with @jack, the Twitter Board, @adambain, @anthonynoto and the rest of the team to grow @twitter’s impact and business. — Omid Kordestani (@omidkordestani) October 14, 2015
It’s rare you get to be at a company with an amazing business that’s also transforming the world. — Omid Kordestani (@omidkordestani) October 14, 2015
I’ve had good fortune to be at three: Netscape, @google, and now @twitter.
— Omid Kordestani (@omidkordestani) October 14, 2015
Heading to join the flock in blue today! pic.twitter.com/DhN8Db29Fa
— Omid Kordestani (@omidkordestani) October 14, 2015
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