California-based Upside Foods, a leading player in the lab-grown meat sector, has announced its recent hire of Sean Edgett, the former General Counsel of Twitter, as the company’s Chief Legal Officer. This move comes as Upside Foods, known for its innovative approach to producing “cultivated” or lab-grown meat, aims to strengthen its legal team for its upcoming ventures.
Sean Edgett’s departure from Twitter, which has since been rebranded as X, occurred in October, culminating over a decade of service in various legal capacities within the company. The shift in leadership at Twitter followed the finalization of its acquisition by CEO Elon Musk for a staggering $44 billion in October, which also led to the departure of prominent Twitter executives, including Edgett and Vijaya Gadde, the former Chief Legal Officer and Head of Policy.
Edgett’s entrance into Upside Foods is a notable move that coincides with the company’s recent milestone. In June, Upside Foods secured approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to commercially distribute lab-grown meat, marking a significant step forward for the alternative protein industry. The approval allows Upside Foods to make history as the first company in the United States to sell cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown meat.
See also: Twitter Rebranding to X Faces Legal Hurdles with Meta and Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Rights
Upon joining Upside Foods, Edgett expressed his enthusiasm for contributing to the company’s mission, stating, “Being a part of UPSIDE Foods is an incredible opportunity to help build an innovative and sustainable food system.”
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This strategic addition to Upside Foods’ leadership team follows the trajectory of other legal professionals formerly associated with Twitter. With this new role, Edgett joins a growing list of legal experts who have found opportunities beyond their tenure at the social media giant.
Nair Flores, previously the Vice President of Legal at Upside Foods, transitioned to a senior leadership role at The Every Company, a producer of animal-free egg proteins, as its Senior Vice President and Head of Legal earlier this year.
Before his tenure at Twitter, Sean Edgett served as the Legal Director at NetApp, a data storage company, and gained experience at law firms including the well-regarded Latham & Watkins.
In a similar vein, Damien Kieran, former Chief Privacy Officer at Twitter, took on the position of General Counsel at photo-sharing app-maker BeReal in February, underscoring the viability of Twitter alumni in the legal landscape.
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