New CNN Original Series Reveals Insider Story of “Twitter: Breaking the Bird"

CNN Originals goes inside the creation of a once-radical, groundbreaking tech startup in new CNN Original Series, Twitter: Breaking the Bird. From Candle True Stories and Bitachon365 in association with the BBC and CNN Original Series, the four-part series follows the insider story behind the meteoric rise and eventual sale of the revolutionary app featuring the voices of the founders themselves. Twitter: Breaking the Bird will premiere on Sunday, March 9 at 10pm ET/PT. The series will air on Sundays at 10pm ET/PT.

In 2006, a group of tech dreamers created the earth-shattering social media app, Twitter. In just a few years it transformed the way the world communicated. Twitter was adopted by celebrities, politicians and the everyday masses as a source for news, entertainment and community. Through firsthand accounts from some of its original founders and early employees, this is the inside story of Twitter’s inception, explosive growth across the world, and the dark underbelly of online hate and harassment that emerged.  

 “Twitter was one of the most disruptive inventions out of Silicon Valley in modern history and continues to have a huge impact on how people around the world communicate. Viewers look to CNN Original Series to go behind the headlines of complex, topical stories and this deeply sourced, meticulously researched investigation of Twitter does just that,” said Amy Entelis, Executive Vice President for Talent & Content Development, CNN Worldwide.

Twitter: Breaking the Bird features new interviews with co-founder and former CEO Ev Williams and co-founder Biz Stone, who share their personal experiences of how a group of idealistic friends set out to build a digital utopia, and how that vision morphed into the platform now owned by Elon Musk. Featuring additional insight from numerous Twitter employees from the rank and file to the C-suite, and analysis from journalists like Kara Swisher who have been covering the company since day one, Twitter: Breaking the Bird is the definitive tale of the corporate clashes, revolving door leadership and tech bro hubris hidden behind the scenes at this once-trailblazing company.

“Candle True Stories is proud to bring viewers an unprecedented look at the rise and evolution of Twitter,” said James Goldston, President and founder of Candle True Stories. “While capturing the creativity, chaos, and conflicts that shaped the world’s digital town square, this series challenges us to confront one of the most pressing questions of our time: Is there such a thing as too much free speech?”

 “Twitter's story is one of both boundless innovation and cautionary lessons,” said Sheldon Lazarus, Executive Producer at Bitachon365.  “Through this series, we reveal the human ambition, conflict, and resilience behind the social media giant that shaped global conversations in ways no one could have imagined. At Bitachon365, we’re proud to bring audiences a definitive and deeply personal look at the birth, rise, and reinvention of a tech phenomenon."

Twitter: Breaking the Bird is executive produced by James Goldston and Ricardo Pollack for Candle True Stories, Sheldon Lazarus for Bitachon365, and Amy Entelis and Lyle Gamm for CNN Original Series. Fred Hepburn is co- executive producer and the series director is Kate Quine. It was commissioned for the BBC by Jack Bootle, Head of Specialist Factual Commissioning and the commissioning editor for the BBC is Tom Coveney, Head of Science.

Twitter: Breaking the Bird will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, March 9. It will also be available on demand beginning Monday, March 10 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms.