Meet the key people helping Elon Musk reshape Twitter
What's the story
Elon Musk has been trying to give Twitter a makeover. The billionaire wants the platform to reflect its new ownership.
To accomplish this, he has placed a group of trusted lieutenants in the company. This group of men is in charge of transforming Twitter to Musk's liking.
Rome was neither built in a day nor built by one man. Musk's Twitter is no different.
Person #1
David Sacks is a member of 'PayPal mafia'
David Sacks is not a household name but one of the most recognizable faces in the tech industry. A long-time associate of Musk, this Silicon Valley veteran was born in South Africa.
He was the founding COO of PayPal and is part of the group that later came to be known as the 'PayPal Mafia.'
Sacks also founded a workplace social network called Yammer.
Information
Sacks invested in Airbnb, Slack, and Uber
Sacks made money from his investments in a series of hit start-ups such as Airbnb, Slack, and Uber. According to The Washington Post, he has an official Twitter email and the title of 'staff software engineer' in the company directory.
Person #2
Jason Calacanis is a tech writer-turned-venture capitalist
Another long-time associate of Musk and a famous name in the venture capitalist world, Jason Calacanis made his start as a tech writer.
Calacanis entered the world of investment as a scout for major VC firm Sequoia Capital. Like Sacks, he also invested in Uber.
He founded the web directory Mahalo in 2007. His other major investments include Robinhood and Thumbtack.
Twitter activity
He volunteered to be Twitter's CEO in April
Calacanis and Sacks have a podcast called All-In, where they discuss politics, tech, and media. He has been active recently on Twitter reassuring users about the platform's future.
He tweeted last week, "I've been using Twitter daily since 2006 — this product is so special and important." He had volunteered to be Twitter's CEO in April.
Person #3
Alex Spiro, the one who doesn't shy away from battles
Alex Spiro, the famed celebrity litigator, is the third one of Musk's key support at Twitter. A partner at the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Spiro reportedly led the recent mass layoff operation in the company.
He is said to be someone who doesn't shy away from publicized battles and fits the bill of "hardcore streetfighters" Musk prefers.
Person #4
Sriram Krishnan was a former Twitter employee
Musk also has an Indian techie in this cherry-picked group. Sriram Krishnan, the former senior director of product at Twitter, has said that he is "helping out Elon Musk and Twitter with some other great people."
He is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a VC firm that invested in Musk's acquisition.
Krishnan has worked with other tech giants, including Microsoft, Meta, and Snap.
Person #5
Birchall has been Musk's right-hand man for years
Lastly, we have Jared Birchall, probably the most important of Musk's inner circle. He is a wealth manager who heads Musk's family office.
A former Morgan Stanley banker, Birchall is known around business circles as Musk's fixer.
Birchall likes to stay away from the limelight and is known for his stealthy ways. He has been leading the billionaire's interactions with Wall Street for years.