Twilio Leadership Update

Twilio Leadership Update

In 2008, Evan, John, and I started Twilio with little more than a to-do list scrawled on the back of a pizza box and an idea that we could democratize communications for developers. We've taken that simple idea, and turned it into an amazing global business. Today, Twilio powers more than 1.7 trillion interactions a year for more than 306,000 customers across the world, producing more than $4 billion in annual revenue. In our most recently reported quarter, we generated nearly 20% free cash flow margin, and added 17 points of non-GAAP operating margin in just 12 months. In 30 quarters as a public company, we’ve met or beat revenue and earnings estimates every single quarter.

The time has come for me to pass the reins of this extraordinary company to a new CEO to lead Twilio through its next chapter. Khozema Shipchandler will succeed me as CEO, starting today.

Kho knows Twilio inside and out. As CFO, he steered the company through a global pandemic with his trademark steady hand. Later as COO, he scaled Twilio’s systems and processes, creating the controls, mechanisms, and predictability we needed to mature as a company. As the leader of Twilio Communications, he’s pivoted the business toward profitable growth and built strong customer relationships over a short period. And importantly, Khozema is an incredibly humble and inclusive leader who lives and breathes our values - the Twilio Magic. There is no better person than Kho to lead Twilio through its next phase.

Over the last fifteen years, we've innovated time after time. We invented the notion of an API-first company, leading the now prevalent developer-economy. Just prior to Twilio’s IPO, we dedicated 1% of our company's equity to create Twilio.org – enabling us to help thousands of nonprofits to change the course of half a billion lives with our products. We invented the CPaaS market, and continually pushed the definition to include more and more – from voice only to messaging, email, contact center, and now customer data and AI. We practically power the digital economy – from startups to the biggest enterprises. In short – the Twilio team has drawn a lot of owls together, and I'm incredibly proud.

One of the early Twilio values was to “leave a team as your legacy.” True success for any leader is not defined by what they accomplish as an individual, but by the team they leave behind. This rings true for me today as I think about the thousands of people who have built this company alongside me.

Twilio’s mission, to unlock the imagination of builders, is one of the most important ideas in the world. Throughout time, builders have shaped the world we live in. And serving them, Twilio powers their ideas, their ambitions, their businesses and more broadly – the continual inventiveness of humanity in the digital era.

Twilio, I can’t wait to see what you all build next.

Onward,

- jeffiel

*This post includes non-GAAP financial measures such as non-GAAP operating margin and free cash flow margin. Important information about the non-GAAP financial measures used herein, including limitations about such measures and reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, can be found here and here.