Omid Kordestani
Omid R. Kordestani | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 Tehran, Iran |
| Occupation | Technology executive |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Executive chairman of Twitter (2015–2020), senior vice president at Google |
Omid R. Kordestani (; born 1963) is an Iranian-American executive who held the position of executive chairman at Twitter from October 2015 until June 2020, and continued as a board member until October 2022. He served as senior vice president, chief business officer, and special advisor to the CEO and founders at Google between July 2014 and October 2015. Additionally, Kordestani was a board member at Vodafone from March 2013 to October 2014. Earlier in his career, he worked at Google from May 1999 to April 2009, ultimately advancing to Senior Vice President for Worldwide Sales and Field Operations.
Early life and education
Born in Tehran, Iran, Omid Kordestani attended Andisheh Don Bosco School, an Italian Catholic institution in Tehran. After his father passed away in 1976, he relocated to San Jose, California. He completed his high school education at Buchser High School in Santa Clara, California, graduating in 1980. Kordestani earned a degree in electrical engineering from San Jose State University and began his professional journey as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard. He later obtained an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, graduating in 1991.
Career
With over ten years of experience in the technology sector focused on consumer and enterprise markets, Kordestani played significant roles at Internet pioneer Netscape. As Netscape’s vice president of Business Development and Sales, he expanded website revenue from $88 million to more than $200 million within a year and a half. He forged key partnerships with companies including Citibank, AOL, Amazon, Intuit, Travelocity, Intel, eBay, and Excite. Prior to Netscape, he held marketing, product management, and business development roles at The 3DO Company, Go Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard.
Kordestani joined Google in May 1999, where he was responsible for shaping the company’s initial business model and served as senior vice president of worldwide sales and field operations until April 2009. During this period, he played a vital role in scaling Google’s global revenue streams and overseeing its sales teams.
On July 18, 2014, Kordestani rejoined Google as Chief Business Officer after the departure of Nikesh Arora, whom he had originally recruited. His appointment was made permanent in October 2014.
He departed Google on October 14, 2015, to assume the role of Executive Chairman at Twitter. Following leadership tensions involving CEO Jack Dorsey and activist investor Elliott Management Corporation, Kordestani was succeeded by Patrick Pichette in June 2020 but retained a board seat until Twitter’s board was dissolved in October 2022.
In December 2021, Kordestani was named chairman of the board at Pearson plc, with his tenure starting March 2022. On August 10, 2024, he initiated legal action against Elon Musk and X Corp concerning unpaid stock options after Twitter’s board was disbanded under new ownership.
Philanthropic Endeavors
Between 2006 and 2011, Kordestani played a key role in establishing the PARSA Community Foundation, an organization dedicated to Iranian culture, heritage, entrepreneurship, and charitable activities, headquartered in Redwood City, California. This foundation contributed to projects including the Iranian Genome Project at Stanford University and provided funding to the Iran Heritage Foundation.
Personal Details
Following his separation from Bita Daryabari, Kordestani's wealth was valued at approximately $2.2 billion in 2012. He is a father to two children with Daryabari and has three additional children with Gisel Kordestani, whom he wed in 2011.
In 2006, he earned a spot on Time Magazine's list of "100 People Who Shape Our World." The subsequent year, he was honored as Persian Person of the Year by Persian Awards.
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Google employees
- 21st-century Iranian businesspeople
- Iranian billionaires
- American billionaires
- Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni
- San Jose State University alumni
- Businesspeople from Tehran
- Living people
- 1963 births
- Iranian philanthropists
- Iranian chief executives
- American philanthropists
- American chief executives
- Iranian emigrants to the United States
- Directors of Twitter, Inc.
- People from Atherton, California
- Businesspeople of Iranian descent