Twitter Guys See Revolution in the Making

'We want to have as large an impact as possible'

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 18, 2009 12:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – Evan Williams and Biz Stone thought they were starting a podcasting company; its quirky messaging service was just a sideshow. Now, Twitter is the main event, and that's an understatement. “It took us a while to figure out that it really was a big deal,” says Williams in a Wall Street Journal interview with the pair. They don't tip their hands on business plans but aren't shy about their ambitions. "We want to have as large an impact as possible," says Williams.

"At least once per day we look at each other and say, 'What the hell?' It's like we're living out the script of the ultimate start-up company story," says Stone. There are the big stories—Mumbai terrorist victims twittering for help, the image of Flight 1549 in the Hudson—but the founders are more excited by the little things, like the Manhattan bakery tweeting when fresh cookies leave the oven. “It’s those small stories that really inspire us,” says Stone. “Those are things that transform people’s lives.”

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Twitter co-founder and CEO Evan Williams (L) and co-founder Biz Stone attend a meeting with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at Twitter headquarters March 10, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Getty Images)

Twitter co-founder and CEO Evan Williams (L) and co-founder Biz Stone speak at Twitter headquarters March 10, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Getty Images)

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone attends a meeting with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at Twitter headquarters March 10, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Getty Images)

Twitter co-founder and CEO Evan Williams attends a meeting with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at Twitter headquarters March 10, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Getty Images)

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Twitter is the side project that took. Now it's our chance to do something transformative. - Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder

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Twitter Guys See Revolution in the Making