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Twitter shares sneak peek at simpler, less cluttered design with new features

Twitter on the web will soon have a new look. The social media company shared a video of the upcoming new look on Tuesday, January 22. There ’s no date yet for the full launch, but Twitter says some users already have the option to opt in to the redesign early. A recent comment from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey also hints at upcoming changes to the Twitter app.

The new Twitter website will have a two-column layout instead of the current three. The usual feed is on the left, with a column for trending topics and suggested users to follow on the right. 

The update isn’t just about a simpler layout, however. The update also includes a shortcut to easily add emojis to new tweets. Twitter says that trends and Direct Messages also improve with the update, along with new options for Bookmarks and Explore. Other changes are designed for a faster Twitter experience like keyboard shortcuts. The trend section is also updated, and Twitter says the search tool also sees improvements with the update.

In the sneak peek, Twitter says there’s still more to come, including an option to switch between an algorithm-organized feed and a chronological one faster, as well as faster switching for users with multiple Twitter accounts.

Besides the new features, the new layout leaves desktop screens less cluttered when using the web version. Twitter hasn’t yet said when the redesign will roll out. The users that have early access have the option to opt-in or to keep the current layout a little while longer.

The new layout is coming to the Twitter website, but Dorsey suggests the app could also see an update. In a comment about the app’s current dark mode, Dorsey said that Twitter is working on improving the feature. The app currently uses a dark blue background for its so-called dark mode, but switching to a true black can conserve battery power on OLED smartphones.

Like the new web layout, Twitter hasn’t said when the new dark mode update will launch.

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Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter

It looks like Twitter founder Jack Dorsey is leaving the chief executive's office once again — but this time, it's by choice.
Sources within Twitter first shared the news with CNBC earlier this morning, and it’s now been confirmed by Dorsey himself — quite appropriately via a Tweet on his social media platform. 
https://twitter.com/jack/status/1465347002426867720?s=21
While the original reports didn’t have much to say about why Dorsey was stepping down, or when it would be happening, it didn’t take long for the erstwhile CEO to share the news himself. In his tweet, Dorsey includes a screenshot of the email that he sent internally to Twitter employees, describing it as part of his desire for Twitter “to be the most transparent company ever.” 
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Dorsey says that he’s leaving because he feels it’s best to separate a company from its founders, and that now is the right time to do so. “I believe it’s critical a company can stand on its own, free of its founder’s influence or direction,” Dorsey said in the message to Twitter employees. 
Based on the message, it appears that Dorsey has been planning this for a while. He noted that he’s been working hard “to ensure this company can break away from its founding and founders.” It’s just been a matter of finding the right person to take over the helm, and Dorsey had been grooming Agrawal for some time, due to “how deeply he understands the company and its needs.”
“Parag has been behind every critical decision that helped turn this company around. He’s curious, probing, rationale relative, demanding, self-aware, and humble. He leads with heart and soul, and is something I learn from daily. My trust in him as our CEO is bone deep,” Dorsey told employees in the internal email.

Dorsey's past with Twitter has been marred by controversies
Over the years, Dorsey has had a somewhat tumultuous relationship with the company that he helped to create in 2006. He initially served as CEO until 2008, but was pushed out of the role after his co-founder Evan Williams and the board felt that he was unfit to lead the growing social media company. 
While Dorsey remained with Twitter as chairman of the board, he refocused most of his attention elsewhere, forming the popular mobile payment company Square. Once that was up and running, Dorsey rejoined Twitter in early 2011 to focus on product development, dividing his time between that and his ongoing work at Square. 
After four more years of struggling to come up with a long-term vision, Twitter’s board returned Dorsey to the position of permanent CEO of Twitter in fall 2015, replacing Dick Costolo, who had taken over from Williams in 2010.
During Dorsey’s second tenure, he’s presided over a social network that’s faced some significantly new and different challenges. 

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