Twitter @ 10

Twitter, the much-loved social networking platform that locked users to interact in no more than 140 characters, seems to be losing its charm as it turned 10 on Monday. The platform, built up to be a contender to Facebook, has lagged significantly and is now facing trouble as it's seen as one that hosts screaming matches. How did Twitter get here and what must it do to have a more positive outlook in the next 10 years?

Jul 2006
Twitter is officially launched to the public; was created in March 2006

Oct 2008
Jack Dorsey is muscled out of his position as CEO, continues to serve on Board

Sept 2009
Twitter raises $100 million in Series D funding, its largest round yet

 

Apr 2010
Twitter crosses 100-million user mark, goes on to add 70 million users in the next six months

Oct 2010
Dick Costolo joins as CEO of Twitter

May 2013
Twitter is valued at $10 billion by one of its investors

Nov 2013
Twitter goes public, Dorsey becomes a billionaire, IPO value of around $40 billion

Jan 2015
Twitter acquires Bengaluru-based start-up ZipDial, its first Indian firm, for $30 million to tap feature phone users

Oct 2015
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, returns to run the company, taking over from Dick Costolo

Feb 2016
Twitter's value drops to $10 billion again, a quarter of its peak valuation

5 challenges for Twitter in the future

• STALLED GROWTH: Twitter's user base grew by only five million in 2015. The company now has close to 310 million active monthly users worldwide
   
• INVESTOR PATIENCE: Investors have punished Twitter for slowing growth and lack of focus. The company's value has dropped from $40 billion in 2013 to only $10 billion
   
• PROFITABILITY: While the losses are reducing, it's still not profitable. The company posted a loss of $90 million on a revenue of $710 million in Q4
   
• PRODUCT FOCUS: Twitter isn't losing its 140-character limit anytime soon but new features such as Moments and changing favourites to 'likes' is not wooing users as they should
   
• MANAGEMENT SHAKE-UP: Since Jack Dorsey's return, the top management has been playing musical chairs, with several exits as part of restructuring