Biz Stone

Biz Stone
Web Summit · CC BY 4.0 · source
Name	Biz Stone
Caption	Biz Stone in 2013
Birth date	10 March 1974
Birth place	Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Occupation	Entrepreneur, author, programmer, investor
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Co-founder of Twitter, co-founder of Jelly, co-founder of Medium

Biz Stone Biz Stone is an American entrepreneur, programmer, author, and investor best known as a co-founder of Twitter. He has co-founded and advised multiple technology companies, contributed to media and publishing projects, and spoken on design, entrepreneurship, and social media. Stone's work spans startups, venture capital, creative writing, and philanthropy.

Early life and education

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Stone grew up near Maplewood (New Jersey), and attended local schools before studying at Wesleyan University and later enrolling at Northeastern University for coursework in marketing and computer science. He began his career during the era of early web publishing alongside figures from the Dot-com bubble and collaborated with practitioners involved with O’Reilly Media and early blogosphere communities. Stone's formative influences included interactions with people from Silicon Valley, New York City media circles, and the independent publishing movement associated with Wired (magazine) and Salon (website).

Career

Stone's early work included roles at companies such as Xanga and Google, and he participated in projects linked to Google News and other search-era initiatives. He later worked with teams connected to Odeo, a podcasting company cofounded by individuals who later formed other projects in the microblogging space. Stone co-founded multiple ventures and collaborated with entrepreneurs who were also involved with YouTube, PayPal, and Flickr. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Stone served as an adviser or board member for startups in areas related to social media, publishing, and consumer software, interacting with organizations like Mozilla Foundation, Kickstarter, and Medium (website).

Role at Twitter

Stone was an early member of the team that created the service that became Twitter, working with co-founders associated with Obvious Corporation, Odeo, and the early Twitter engineering group. During Twitter's formative years he was involved with product development, brand strategy, and community outreach while collaborating with engineers who previously worked on projects at Blogger, Pyra Labs, and other publishing platforms. As Twitter grew through rounds of venture capital funding from firms such as Union Square Ventures and Benchmark (venture capital firm), Stone participated in public launches, conferences like South by Southwest, and corporate governance discussions leading up to Twitter's initial public offering alongside contemporaries from Facebook, LinkedIn, and Myspace. His tenure intersected with discussions about platform policy during major events such as the Arab Spring and other international moments when social media influenced public discourse.

Other ventures and investments

After his initial period at Twitter, Stone co-founded and led other startups including Jelly (software company) and played a role in the founding of Medium (website), collaborating with founders and investors active in Silicon Valley and New York City. He has invested in and advised companies across sectors, including those with ties to Square (company), Foursquare, Airbnb, Pinterest, and startups emerging from Y Combinator. Stone's angel investments and board relationships connected him with venture funds and incubators like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Greylock Partners, and he has worked with product teams at Instagram-adjacent startups, marketplaces, and mobile-first services. Stone also participated in initiatives with organizations such as Etsy, Automattic, and creative platforms that intersect publishing and technology.

Writing and public speaking

Stone is the author of books and essays that explore creativity, entrepreneurship, and communication, publishing works that relate to projects endorsed by figures from TED Conferences and panels alongside speakers from Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has spoken at events including TED, South by Southwest, Web Summit, and industry gatherings hosted by The New York Times and Wired (conference), and contributed to anthologies alongside authors connected to Penguin Random House and independent presses. Stone's writing has addressed startup culture in forums frequented by commentators from The Atlantic, Fast Company, and The Guardian (London), and he has lectured at institutions such as Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley.

Personal life and philanthropy

Stone's personal pursuits include creative writing, photography, and involvement with philanthropic projects tied to technology access and civic engagement. He has supported initiatives in partnership with organizations like Mozilla Foundation, United Nations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and nonprofits focused on digital literacy and entrepreneurship. Stone has also been involved with charitable efforts alongside other tech leaders from Microsoft, Apple Inc., and Google and has participated in fundraising and awareness campaigns connected to cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and arts foundations in New York City.

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:American company founders Category:American investors Category:Tech entrepreneurs