Dick Costolo's Farewell Op-Ed

After nearly five years of holding top ranks at Twitter Inc TWTR, Dick Costolo officially stepped down as CEO of the company on Wednesday. Before doing so, he penned an op-ed that was published by The Guardian.

Costolo began by stating that the original vision of Twitter was for users to instantly know what their friends are up to. However, the company evolved and "became a product of the world" and was a tool for "people who didn't necessarily know each other, who might not be in the same country, same political spectrum, or same socioeconomic condition."

"Today, people can access information from its original source, instantly," Costolo wrote. "This makes it much more difficult to use information as a tool for wielding power because information is equally, immediately available. It means there are more perspectives on a news story - from mainstream media, eyewitnesses or the newsmakers themselves."

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The former executive went on to state that Twitter's role in providing free flow of information has enriched the lives of many. Rewind just a few short years ago, and only an "elite" group had direct access to the thoughts of world leaders, experts in various subjects, literary legends and even astronauts.

"These are people who have become the best in their fields and we now have direct access to them," he added.

Costolo even hinted that Twitter may be regarded as a game changer when future generations study our time period.

"For most of history we have lived in a world with artificial barriers. Barriers to communication and the flow of information. Barriers based on status - political, racial, socioeconomic status. These artificial walls built between people limited our ability to truly see each other. They made it hard to have compassion for people living lives very different to our own. But these barriers are coming down. Access - to information, to people, to institutions - is becoming a reality for more and more people around the world."

Costolo concluded with his vision of how Twitter users should approach the platform: "Use it to shine a light on what's good in the world and what needs to be changed, to champion the underserved, to embrace people's differences, and amplify the best of humanity."