Twitter replaces board member who left for Microsoft with ex-Google CFO
Crossing the social media divides isn't common in Silicon Valley, so it's notable that Twitter and Microsoft have played a spot of musical chairs with their boards.
Twitter board member Hugh Johnston -- day job: Pepsi vice chairman and CFO -- has left Twitter's board to join Microsoft's board as of today. Johnston's replacement at the microblogging company is Patrick Pichette, a former CFO of Google.
No sooner was Johnston's new role announced by Microsoft, so Twitter was trumpeting its own new addition, Canada-born Pichette, who served as Google CFO between 2008 and 2015.
Big news: Patrick @Pichette is joining the Twitter Board! Welcome Patrick! Thrilled to have you.
— jack (@jack) September 19, 2017
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Twitter already has another former Googler on its board in the form of Omid Kordestani, its executive chairman, who joined in 2015.
Thrilled to join the Board of Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft), a company I have long admired.
— Hugh Johnston (@hughjohnston) September 19, 2017
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Twitter (@twitter) has a clear mission and strong leadership team and, as I leave the Board, I wish the company continued success.
— Hugh Johnston (@hughjohnston) September 19, 2017
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The trigger of these changes appears to be the decision of Microsoft board member G. Mason Morfit, president and chief investment officer of ValueAct Capital, to not seek re-election.
Microsoft's board includes company founder Bill Gates, Greylock's Reid Hoffman, Teri L. List-Stoll from Gap, and Bank Of America's Charles H. Nosk among others. The Twitter board, meanwhile, includes Peter Chernin, Martha Lane Fox, CEO Jack Dorsey and others.
