Twitter’s Chief Tries Staying the Course as Elon Musk Upends Plans

SAN FRANCISCO — At a digital assembly for Twitter executives final week, Parag Agrawal admitted he was exhausted.

Mr. Agrawal, Twitter’s chief government, had spent the previous six weeks steering the corporate via a $44 billion sale to Elon Musk, the world’s richest individual. Some workers had been rebelling brazenly towards their new proprietor, who had criticized the social media service and its executives. Others had been upset at Mr. Agrawal’s current company shake-ups. And Mr. Musk appeared more likely to drive Mr. Agrawal from his job.

On the assembly, Mr. Agrawal was “uncooked” about Twitter’s points and the hurricane of consideration over Mr. Musk’s deal, two individuals with data of the occasion mentioned. However he additionally conveyed a way of acceptance of his scenario and mentioned he would transfer ahead together with his plans for the corporate, they mentioned.

Mr. Agrawal touched on areas that he mentioned had been key to enhance upon: Twitter’s core product, the corporate’s depth of know-how, the enterprise, free speech throughout the platform and, importantly, what management seems like. Some executives left the assembly energized, the individuals mentioned.

It was what Mr. Agrawal might do given the circumstances. That’s due to all the highest jobs in tech, the 38-year-old is in what would be the most inconceivable one.

The Indian-born government, a protégé of the Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has been in command of the corporate solely since November. He was anticipated to show Twitter round after years of missed development and monetary objectives. However Mr. Musk swooped in inside months, basically turning Mr. Agrawal right into a lame duck who should handle a restive work drive and take care of Twitter’s mounting financial challenges earlier than he’s more likely to be booted from the corporate.

“There’s nobody on the planet who would wish to be in these footwear,” mentioned Bob Sutton, an organizational psychologist and professor at Stanford College.

But whilst Mr. Agrawal grapples with the scenario, he faces a smooth touchdown. If Mr. Musk removes him as chief government, Mr. Agrawal stands to make $60 million, in accordance with securities filings. (In November, he was granted a compensation package deal of an annual wage of $1 million, plus bonuses, in addition to restricted inventory items and performance-based inventory items valued at $12.5 million.)

Mr. Agrawal appeared at Twitter’s annual shareholder assembly on Wednesday, which was held nearly. He and different executives mentioned they might not talk about the phrases of the deal, which shareholders will vote on at a later date, till the transaction closed. In addition they fielded shareholder questions on Twitter’s merchandise, misinformation, and the significance of variety and inclusion initiatives.

Twitter’s board additionally underwent modifications on Wednesday. It was Mr. Dorsey’s final day on the board. And Egon Durban, a personal fairness government and Twitter board member, resigned after not receiving sufficient shareholder votes to find out whether or not he would proceed serving. Twitter’s board is contemplating his resignation, however might decline and ask him to remain on; the corporate is predicted to situation a choice on Thursday.

Behind the scenes, workers and advisers mentioned, Mr. Agrawal has been working with bankers and board members to shut Twitter’s sale to Mr. Musk, regardless that the billionaire has not too long ago prompt he needs to renegotiate and has made barbed feedback concerning the firm.

Mr. Agrawal has additionally doubled down on his plans to overtake Twitter whereas he can. This month, he fired two prime executives, paused most hiring and pulled again on discretionary spending after the corporate missed monetary objectives. He additionally plans to boost Twitter’s options utilizing machine studying, and needs to make the platform extra engaging to new customers and transfer extra swiftly to debut new merchandise, in accordance with a presentation at an organization assembly this month.

“I do know we’ve been going via a interval of uncertainty,” Mr. Agrawal mentioned at that assembly, in accordance with a recording of it that was obtained by The New York Instances. “We’re shifting our focus again to our work.”

Mr. Agrawal joined Twitter as an engineer in 2011 whereas finishing his doctoral research in laptop science at Stanford. He then rose steadily via the corporate’s ranks, changing into chief know-how officer in 2017. He has spent most of his profession on the firm and has greater than 610,000 followers on the service.

As chief know-how officer, Mr. Agrawal labored on a few of Twitter’s sophisticated technical challenges and constructed relationships together with his engineering friends and Mr. Dorsey. He shared Mr. Dorsey’s imaginative and prescient that Twitter’s future hinged on overhauling its know-how so it might rely extra on machine studying and decentralize its providers to present customers extra management over their experiences on the platform.

When Mr. Dorsey handed the reins to Mr. Agrawal in November, the engineer went from overseeing a handful of workers to immediately managing greater than 7,000 individuals. “My belief in him as our C.E.O. is bone-deep,” Mr. Dorsey mentioned on the time.

Mr. Agrawal instantly made modifications. Days after changing into chief government, he dismissed two prime executives chargeable for design and engineering. He gave remaining leaders broader tasks. In inner emails seen by The Instances, he harassed accountability, saying the brand new construction would make clear who was chargeable for what duties and velocity up decision-making.

In January, Mr. Agrawal pushed out two safety executives. In an inner memo, he mentioned the group was not being led in accordance with his expectations, which was affecting top-priority work.

Some Twitter workers applauded the strikes, saying that a number of the ousted executives had been sluggish or had bullied employees. Others had been shocked that Mr. Agrawal had dismissed longtime leaders and located him inscrutable.

By March, Mr. Musk had began build up a big stake in Twitter. On March 31, Mr. Agrawal spoke with Mr. Musk to pitch him on becoming a member of Twitter’s board, in accordance with a regulatory submitting. Mr. Musk initially agreed, then reversed course. Mr. Musk mentioned he was additionally weighing a bid to take Twitter personal and had an concept of beginning a brand new social media firm, in accordance with the submitting.

It was Mr. Agrawal’s first brush with Mr. Musk’s unpredictable type, which rapidly grew to become routine. Mr. Musk quickly launched a takeover bid for the corporate, sealed the deal after which needled Mr. Agrawal on Twitter over points corresponding to pretend accounts. When Mr. Agrawal tried addressing the issues on Twitter, Mr. Musk responded by sending him a poop emoji.

At Twitter, some workers soured on Mr. Agrawal, in accordance with 10 present and former workers who spoke on the situation of anonymity. He informed employees he couldn’t share data on the take care of Mr. Musk as particulars had been hashed out. He was additionally initially quiet at firm conferences, they mentioned, and was absent from an inner worker chat.

Mr. Agrawal’s supporters mentioned he was legally restricted from sharing details about the deal, in accordance with two individuals with data of the matter, and internally he expressed his frustrations with being unable to initially say extra concerning the deal. After the settlement was signed, Twitter held workers conferences and despatched greater than a dozen emails to replace employees. Final week, Twitter let workers ask Vijaya Gadde, the pinnacle of authorized and coverage, and Ned Segal, the chief monetary officer, questions concerning the deal.

Mr. Agrawal’s defenders mentioned he’s extra gregarious and charming in smaller group settings. They added that his modifications had been lengthy overdue, particularly at an organization that had been resistant to alter.

In Slack messages and group chats, different workers have expressed pleasure for Mr. Musk’s possession, believing his ardour for Twitter might re-energize the corporate.

However Mr. Agrawal has detractors. At firm conferences in current weeks, he typically mentioned that nothing would change “presently.” Some workers have mocked his feedback, creating memes of Mr. Agrawal making these repeated assurances, the individuals mentioned.

Many workers stay unsure about their futures on the firm, a number of individuals mentioned. Some are additionally bristling on the golden parachutes that Mr. Agrawal and different prime executives will obtain if they’re fired after the take care of Mr. Musk closes, the individuals mentioned.

Mr. Agrawal has informed confidants that he’ll perform his plans quite than merely ready for Mr. Musk to take over. After slashing spending and freezing almost all hiring on the firm this month, he tried to rally employees.

“Throughout this time of change, it’s important that we proceed to strengthen our work via elevated accountability and execution to make Twitter every thing it may be,” he wrote in an e-mail to workers, which was seen by The Instances. “Our goal is existential.”

Ryan Mac contributed reporting.