Indian netizens were pleased when IIT-Bombay alumnus Parag Agrawal was chosen CEO of Twitter in November last year, following Jack Dorsey’s departure. Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), Arvind Krishna (IBM), Nikesh Arora (Palo Alto Networks), and Rangarajan Raghuram (VMWare) are among a lengthy list of Indian-origin corporate leaders with significant impact in the global IT industry.
Following Elon Musk‘s sudden takeover of Twitter in a $44 billion cash deal, the internet is buzzing with conjecture about what the future holds for Parag Agrawal.
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To begin, Musk wrote to Twitter Chairman Bret Taylor, which was made public in a securities filing, expressing his dissatisfaction with the company’s management. By adding that his offer of $54.20 per share is the best and final offer, he said,
“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy. However, since making my investment I now realise the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company.”
This raises doubts about Agrawal’s future at the organisation
It’s fairly uncommon for corporate executives to leave after a takeover. Furthermore, Agrawal reminded his colleagues during a company-wide town hall that the social media company’s future is unclear. Many inquiries were apparently dodged by him, who indicated they should be sent to Musk.
Mr Agrawal, on the other hand, appears to be optimistic about his prospects in the company. At least, that’s what he appears to be attempting to convey through his responses to the issue’s Tweets.
Recently, Mr Agrawal responded to a Twitter user’s sympathetic message about the Indian-origin CEO’s former intentions for the social media giant, saying there was no need to be concerned and that “what matters most is the service and the people improving it.”
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Founder of Mighty App, Mr Suhail, tweeted,
“I feel for the current ceo of Twitter (@paraga) – he had all these plans and now lives with the same uncertainty of his whole team.”
I feel for the current ceo of Twitter (@paraga) – he had all these plans and now lives with the same uncertainty of his whole team.
— Suhail (@Suhail) April 27, 2022
The Twitter CEO reacted with gratitude and a dismissive tone. He said,
“Thank you but don’t feel for me. What matters most is the service and the people improving it.”
Thank you but don’t feel for me. What matters most is the service and the people improving it.
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 27, 2022
Mr Agrawal had spelt out his vision for the firm last night before taking over as CEO, and he expressed satisfaction in his coworkers who continue to work “with focus and urgency despite the noise.” He tweeted,
I took this job to change Twitter for the better, course correct where we need to, and strengthen the service. Proud of our people who continue to do the work with focus and urgency despite the noise.
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 27, 2022
On his tweet, a parody account @NotParagAgrawal replied on Thursday,
“I thought we were fired”
I thought we were fired
— Not Parag Agrawal (@NotParagAgrawal) April 27, 2022
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The 37-year-old turned to Twitter to respond to a few posts and reassure fans that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
In response to the tweet, Parag Agarwal said,
“Nope! we’re still here.”
nope! we’re still here
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 27, 2022
Nonetheless, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey appears to be rooting for both Parag Agrawal and Elon Musk at the same time. He stated in a series of tweets that he does not believe Twitter should be governed by a single individual because it is a public company that will become a private one if the acquisition is completed.
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