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This is Noah Glass. He named Twitter in 2006 and built its first prototype. Then Jack Dorsey kicked him out, erased him from Twitter history, and sold for $44 billion. This story blew my mind... This is Silicon Valley's most brutal betrayal: 🧵
In 2006, Apple added podcasts to iTunes, crushing Noah Glass's startup Odeo overnight. Glass and his team needed a new idea to survive. During an emergency brainstorming session, Jack Dorsey pitched a simple status-sharing concept. Glass saw something nobody else did.
Glass became obsessed with the idea. He worked day and night on the project with Jack Dorsey, Blaine Cook, and Florian Weber. He told friends it was "a massive labor of love" that took "a ton of effort and energy."
Silicon Valley lesson #1: Ideas need champions. Glass named the product by flipping through a physical dictionary in his apartment. After his phone vibrated, he considered "Vibrate."
Then looked at "Twitch." Finally found "Twitter": "The light chirping sound made by certain birds." He instantly knew it was perfect.
Glass pushed the team to make improvements daily. He was going through a painful divorce at the same time. The project became his emotional lifeline during personal turmoil. On March 21, 2006, Jack Dorsey tweeted: "just setting up my twttr."
Glass grew nervous as power struggles emerged. He confided his fears to Jack Dorsey, who he considered a friend. Unknown to Glass, Dorsey was secretly meeting with CEO Evan Williams. Dorsey's ultimatum: "Fire Glass or I quit."
Lesson #2: Watch your back In July 2006, Williams called Glass to a coffee shop and fired him. Glass received a small amount of cash and stock for his "massive labor of love."
No recognition. No major equity. No founder status. His name was systematically erased from Twitter's origin story.
After Glass was pushed out, he fell into depression and disappeared. Jack Dorsey began giving interviews where he took credit for Twitter's name. Dorsey positioned himself as the visionary founder.
Lesson #3: History is written by the victors - document everything. The betrayal didn't end with Glass. By October 2008, Williams and the board pushed Dorsey out as CEO. Dorsey kept his board seat but lost all power. For those who believe in karma, this seemed like justice.
In 2010, Twitter's CEO at the time, Ev Williams, was also fired. Here's what he had this to say at that very moment:
Williams didn't last long either. Dick Costolo replaced him as CEO by 2010. Twitter's executive floor became famous for its revolving door.
Lesson #4: Company culture starts at the top. Dorsey spent years plotting his return. In 2015, he succeeded, becoming CEO again. By 2022, Elon bought X for $44 billion. Dorsey walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars. Glass got nothing.
Noah Glass's name isn't on Twitter's IPO documents. His contribution isn't mentioned in press releases. When journalists write Twitter's history, he's a footnote. But without him, there would be no Twitter. No Jack Dorsey. No Elon Musk takeover.
3 startup protection strategies from Glass's story: • Get everything in writing - verbal agreements mean nothing • Secure founder status in legal documents - titles matter • Never confide fears to potential rivals - keep vulnerabilities private
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