Twitter Legal Veteran Brennan Jumps to AI Unicorn Dataiku (1)

Dataiku Inc., an organization facts organization focused on synthetic intelligence, has recruited a new prime legal govt who used additional than a decade at Twitter Inc.

Daniel Brennan, who served as Twitter’s interim basic counsel in advance of the 2020 US presidential election, will sign up for Dataiku Sept. 19 as its very first main authorized officer. The organization was valued at $4.6 billion final calendar year subsequent a fundraising round led by financial investment agency Tiger International Management LLC.

Brennan is joining Dataiku just after taking a practically yr-long sabbatical from the lawful globe, he reported in an interview. The break came following an “intense period” that observed him move into just one of Twitter’s top lawful positions when the social media company’s longtime lawful chief Vijaya Gadde went on maternity leave two a long time back.

He praised Gadde and Twitter’s present typical counsel Sean Edgett for their function primary the company’s legal workforce as a result of myriad firestorms.

Gadde was publicly criticized previously this yr by Elon Musk as the know-how mogul designed a because-aborted $44 billion takeover bid for Twitter. The enterprise is suing Musk in a Delaware point out court docket to force him to complete the deal.

Brennan declined to speculate about regardless of whether Musk will triumph in his exertion to scuttle the Twitter deal—“I would like I had a crystal ball,” he said—but admitted he’ll be carefully pursuing the court docket proceedings when a trial begins up coming thirty day period.

New Position

Dataiku can help client-dealing with businesses, this kind of as Unilever PLC, Sephora Usa Inc., and General Electrical Co.’s aviation company, apply synthetic intelligence initiatives and navigate substantial information sets. The business, established just about a 10 years in the past in Paris, is now based mostly in New York.

Brennan, who functions remotely from suburban Philadelphia, expects to usually travel to equally cities and anywhere else his new co-personnel are at Dataiku.

He mentioned he won’t actively search to recruit from Twitter. The social media firm in new months has viewed various legal professionals depart for new endeavors as uncertainty in excess of Musk’s potential ownership has reportedly hurt staff morale.

“A whole lot of them have wonderful gigs—these are some of the most talented, sensible, hardworking, large-integrity people I’ve at any time had the option to operate with,” said Brennan about his previous colleagues at Twitter, many of whom he’s still in contact with currently. “I imagine in that organization and want it to be successful.”

Twitter reported via a spokesman that it is carried out a hiring freeze besides for “business-vital roles” as it seeks to command fees with Musk’s acquisition in limbo.

“Given our lessened selecting, we are reprioritizing and creating alterations that be certain we carry on to work responsibly and competently,” Twitter reported.

Twitter Tenure

Brennan mentioned he manufactured a “personal decision” to depart Twitter in Oct 2021 and relocate to the East Coastline to be closer to household just after his father passed away.

He “had a blast” for the duration of his “five-furthermore months” helping oversee Twitter’s lawful crew for the duration of the tumultuous time foremost up to an election that led to former President Donald Trump’s defeat and a struggle around his removing from business, Brennan said.

Trump released an unsuccessful lawsuit in opposition to Twitter—represented by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr—that sought to reverse the company’s decision to permanently ban him from its system after the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Brennan mentioned he turned a superior attorney during a time of “super swift growth” for the social media system. The company’s initial-at any time legal chief Alexander Macgillivray produced Brennan 1 of Twitter’s earliest lawful hires in 2011.

“You by no means could’ve predicted anything that transpired,” Brennan explained. “Those ordeals are now aspect of my skilled DNA.”