Twitter's Task, Post-Dick Costolo: Transform Into a Media Company

Twitter is beloved by entertainment companies and personalities, but it's not yet a media powerhouse. A new CEO could change that.
After five years at the helm of the microblogging platform, CEO Dick Costolo, 51, announced June 11 that he will step down. Beginning July 1, co-founder and chairman Jack Dorsey, 38, will assume the interim CEO role as Twitter's board searches for a leader with a fresh vision. Costolo helped transform Twitter from a venture-funded startup into a public company with $436 million in revenue during its most recent quarter. But he was facing pressure from investors as Twitter's base languishes at 302 million monthly active users and revenue growth has slowed.
The solution, say analysts, is a CEO who can communicate better to everyday people — not only celebrities and brand marketers — why they need to be on the platform. "Twitter needs a leader that understands media," says Gartner analyst Brian Blau, adding that the company can aid businesses that "want to leverage mobility in a world where everything happens in real time and is being amplified through social networks."