The person who first called Twitter “Twitter” must be raking in millions of dollars these days, right? Not so much. Noah Glass (@noah), an integral part of the service’s founding and the man who coined one of the world’s most famous company names, was fired long ago. When people tell the story of Twitter (now X), they often don’t mention him.

So, what's the real story?

After working at Industrial Light and Magic, Glass co-founded Odeo, the failed podcasting company that provided an unlikely bridge to Twitter. Odeo CEO Ev Williams put Glass in charge of the social messaging project that Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone had instrumentally created.

Glass took on the job with passion, a true believer in Twitter's potential. But in 2006, when the social media platform launched, Williams fired him. Dorsey reportedly approached Williams about Glass's firing, but the working relationship between Williams and Glass was strained due to differences in personality and working style.