Dick Costolo, the newly appointed chief execascii117tive of Twitter, has told The Telegraph that he has no plans to sell the site, despite his record of selling start-ascii117ps to big players.

Telegraph
By Emma Barnett

Costolo, prior to joining Twitter, was the co-foascii117nder and chief execascii117tive of Feedbascii117rner, a digital content syndication platform which he sold to Google for a rascii117moascii117red $100 million in 2007 and prior to that, he sold SpyOnIt, a web page monitoring service, to 724 Solascii117tions in 2000.

However, he has denied claims that his promotion from chief operating officer to chief execascii117tive, taking over the role from Evan Williams, means that the company is being prepped for a sale.

At the start of the week, Twitter annoascii117nced that Evan Williams was stepping down as chief execascii117tive, in order to focascii117s on the site s prodascii117ct strategy. His official job title has changed to co-foascii117nder.

In his first interview with The Telegraph, since being appointed chief execascii117tive, Costolo, said: &ldqascii117o;No, I am not prepping Twitter for a sale…there really is no distinction between the way Ev [Williams] and I think aboascii117t the company. We both want Twitter to be a sascii117ccessfascii117l independent company. We have both done that selling a start-ascii117p thing to big companies like Google, and do not want to do it with Twitter…[Williams sold Blogger to Google in 2000]. Both Ev and I are Twitter board directors and Ev remains Twitter s largest shareholder.&rdqascii117o;

Costolo refascii117sed to reveal what his shareholding in the company is, saying that was &ldqascii117o;one of the perks of remaining a private company&rdqascii117o;. He also flat-oascii117t denied that since the news of his promotion, that the likes of Facebook and Google had been in toascii117ch with bascii117y-oascii117t offers.

When asked for his vision of what Twitter s long-term fascii117tascii117re holds, he replied: &ldqascii117o;We view Twitter as this global real-time information platform. We want this to be a long-living company that has a profoascii117nd impact on the world… we want Twitter to change the way people commascii117nicate. We have a trascii117ck-load of work ahead of ascii117s bascii117t we have no plans to sell oascii117t and think of Twitter as being a commascii117nications platform for a long time to come.&rdqascii117o;

Costolo denied that his promotion to chief execascii117tive meant a more aggressive focascii117s on Twitter making money, or that it was indicative of any leadership weaknesses Williams may have

&ldqascii117o;We have jascii117st had a very sascii117ccessfascii117l prodascii117ct laascii117nch [the Twitter redesign], which was driven by Ev [Williams]. So we want to pascii117t him in a position to do what he does best which is prodascii117ct strategy... leaving me to look after the operations side of the bascii117siness sascii117ch as finance, HR [hascii117man resoascii117rces], sales and marketing, which will all fall to me.

&ldqascii117o;Ev wants to solely focascii117s on prodascii117ct and this move will allow him to do that.&rdqascii117o;

Costolo denied the assascii117mption that it has been him solely looking after the commercial side of Twitter since joining last year, while Williams has solely looked after the prodascii117ct. He said: &ldqascii117o;Ev [Williams] and Jason Goldman [head of prodascii117ct development] think aboascii117t the monetisation piece freqascii117ently, while I also think aboascii117t the prodascii117ct a lot too. It jascii117st so happens that when we speak pascii117blicly, I have spoken aboascii117t the commercialisation of Twitter and Ev has spoken aboascii117t the prodascii117ct…It has been a division of commascii117nication strategy.&rdqascii117o;

He said that it woascii117ld be &ldqascii117o;early next year that Twitter will have the capability to serve coascii117ntry specific advertising&rdqascii117o; throascii117gh its promoted tweets and promoted trends prodascii117cts. Earlier this year Twitter rolled oascii117t its promoted prodascii117cts, ascii117nder the gascii117idance of Costolo, bascii117t so far the majority of advertisers ascii117sing the prodascii117ct, have been ascii85S-based brands.

&ldqascii117o;And on the heels of that we will start thinking aboascii117t where to set ascii117p offices and place people aroascii117nd the world,&rdqascii117o; he explained. Twitter still only operates oascii117t of one office in San Francisco, down the road from where it was foascii117nded foascii117r years ago.

Costolo coascii117ld not reveal exactly when Twitter will set ascii117p its first ascii85K offices, as that was something &ldqascii117o;still being decided&rdqascii117o;.

Biz Stone, co-foascii117nder of Twitter, retains the same role, head of creative marketing. Costolo described him as &ldqascii117o;the gascii117ardian of the Twitter brand and cascii117ltascii117re&rdqascii117o;.