Parag Agrawal: IIT Bombay graduate who started at Twitter as engineer

Parag Agrawal joined Twitter in 2011.

Parag Agrawal, the Twitter CEO who oversaw the company during Elon Musk's chaotic takeover bid, is on his way out.

Reports say Musk has sacked him and some other top executives after closing the deal with the social network, becoming its new boss.

Agrawal, Twitter's CEO for less than a year, could walk away with a severance payout of $56 million.

Elon Musk to pay over $200 million as severance to Twitter's fired top executives

He came to occupy the top post in November last year after founder Jack Dorsey announced his departure.

Agrawal had a rapid rise at Twitter. He started off as a software engineer in 2011 and in six years, ascended to the rank of chief technology officer.

He made a mark with his work in machine-learning technology and artificial intelligence, which helped Twitter with audience growth, CNBC reported.

Agrawal has roots in India. He was born in Rajasthan's Ajmer and attended school in Mumbai.

He went on to study computer science at IIT Bombay. After graduating from the top institute, he moved to the US to attend Stanford University.

While studying for his PhD, he took up research roles at Microsoft, Yahoo and AT&T Labs.

Then began his stint at Twitter that saw him rise to the top executive position in just 10 years.

In a letter to Twitter staff last year, Dorsey said Agrawal was his choice to succeed him as CEO because of his deep understanding of the company.

"Parag has been behind every critical decision that helped turn this company around," Dorsey said. "He leads with heart and soul and is someone I learn from daily. My trust in him as our CEO is bone-deep."

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Parag Agrawal's 11-month tenure as Twitter CEO ends as Elon Musk takes control