Biz Stone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Biz Stone
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Stone in 2007
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| Born |
Christopher Isaac Stone
March 10, 1974 |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Creative director, software engineer, businessperson |
| Known for | co-founder of Twitter, Jelly |
| Spouse(s) | Livia Stone |
Christopher Isaac "Biz" Stone (born March 10, 1974) is an American entrepreneur. He is best known as one of the people who helped create Twitter, a very popular social media platform. He has also started and helped many other technology companies.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Biz Stone grew up and went to Wellesley High School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. After high school, he attended Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Boston. However, he did not finish his degree at either university.
Building New Companies
Biz Stone has worked on many exciting projects in the tech world.
Working at Xanga and Google
From 1999 to 2001, Stone was the creative director at a company called Xanga. Later, from 2003 to 2005, he held an important leadership role at Google, a huge internet company.
Creating Twitter
In 2006, Biz Stone helped create the social network Twitter. Twitter quickly became a global platform where people could share short messages called "tweets." He left the company in 2011 but later returned to Twitter in 2017, staying until 2021.
Jelly and Other Ventures
Stone also co-founded a company called Jelly with Ben Finkel. Jelly was a search engine that used pictures and helped people discover new things. It launched in 2014 and was later bought by Pinterest in 2017. In 2024, Stone joined the board of directors for Mastodon, another social network.
Helping New Businesses Grow
Besides starting his own companies, Biz Stone is also an "angel investor." This means he gives money and advice to new companies (called startups) to help them get started and grow. Some of the well-known companies he has supported include Square, Slack, and Pinterest. He also serves on the board of directors for several companies, helping guide their decisions.
Awards and Recognition
Biz Stone has received many awards and honors for his work in technology.
- He holds the patent for inventing Twitter, along with Jack Dorsey.
- Inc. magazine called him the "Entrepreneur of the Decade."
- Time magazine included him in their list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."
- GQ magazine named him "Nerd of the Year."
- In 2014, The Economist gave him an Innovation Award.
- In 2015, Twitter won an Emmy Award, and Stone received a special award for his leadership in new media.
Stone is also a visiting fellow at Oxford University in England. He has received an honorary degree, a Doctor of Laws, from Babson College.
Books and Writings
Biz Stone has written three books:
- Blogging: Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content (2002)
- Who Let The Blogs Out? (2004)
- Things A Little Bird Told Me (2014)
He also writes articles for his personal blog and for publications like The Atlantic and The Times.
Personal Life and Interests
Biz Stone lives in Marin County, California, with his wife, Livia, and their son, Jacob. He and his wife started the Biz and Livia Stone Foundation. This foundation supports education and efforts to protect nature in California. Stone is also very involved in causes like animal rights, veganism, protecting the environment, and helping with education. He advises DonorsChoose, a non-profit that helps classrooms in need.
See also
In Spanish: Biz Stone para niños
- Jelly (app)
