Biz Stone

Elon Musk took control of Twitter and fired its top executives late on Oct. 27 in a deal that puts one of the leading platforms for global discourse in the hands of the world's richest man.

Following the takeover, Musk tweeted that the "the bird is freed," referencing the company's iconic avian logo.

Twitter, which turns 10 years old on March 21, has grown into one of the leading global social networks. Here are some key facts about the messaging platform:          

Twitter came to life on March 21, 2006, when co-founder Jack Dorsey sent out the first tweet: "just setting up my twttr." Dorsey followed up with the first "human-generated" tweet: "inviting coworkers."  

'It was the people on the ground in the region that made the change, not me, and not my team' says Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter Game-changer? Sure. A winner? Definitely. A Silicon Valley-type millionaire/playboy? Well, not exactly. Biz Stone, one of the co-founders of Twitter, is not the kind of guy you might think.