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An epilogue to my time working at Twitter

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Summary

In this article, the author reflects on their experience working at Twitter, both before and after the company was acquired by Elon Musk. They discuss the bureaucracy, management, and challenges faced, as well as their experience of going viral following the "sleeping bag incident". The author reflects on the good and bad of working with Elon, noting his boldness and passion, but lack of process and empathy. They ultimately remain an optimistic pragmatist, hoping for the best, but recognizing that the outcome depends on whether or not people want the new product.

Q&As

What was Esther's experience like working at Twitter?
Esther's experience working at Twitter was both amazing and terrible. She found it siloed and bureaucratic, with too much focus on quarterly earnings calls and too much bureaucracy to make product changes. She also found that it was difficult to fire poor performers and that management had become bloated.

What changes did Elon Musk make at Twitter?
Elon Musk made changes to the infrastructure, product, business decisions, and culture at Twitter. He also focused on speed and was willing to blow things up.

How did Esther respond to criticism she received for sleeping on the conference room floor?
Esther responded to the criticism she received for sleeping on the conference room floor by laughing at herself and not taking the armchair keyboard ideologues too seriously. She was proud of the work she had done and had no regrets.

What is Esther's opinion of Elon Musk?
Esther's opinion of Elon Musk is that he is smart and has enough money to make a lot of mistakes and then course correct when things go awry. She also finds him inspiring, but notes his lack of process and empathy is painful.

What is Esther's view on loneliness and connection between people?
Esther believes that the trade-off between safety and wealth and loneliness does not have to exist. She is fascinated and troubled by the fact that humans are getting lonelier as we create a world that is both safer and wealthier.

AI Comments

👍 This is an incredibly insightful article about the inside of Twitter and the experience of working there. The author shares many valuable lessons and observations that can be applied to many other high-pressure situations.

👎 The author's observations about Elon Musk's management style are disconcerting. It appears that he relies heavily on his own instincts rather than data and expertise, which could be detrimental to the success of the company.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about a person's experience working at Twitter after it was acquired by Elon Musk in 2020. It talks about the challenges the person faced while working there and how it's changed since then.

Friend: Wow, that's really interesting. It sounds like it was an intense experience. What are the implications of the article?

Me: The article really highlights the lack of psychological safety at Twitter and the potential risks of having a powerful leader like Elon Musk in charge. It also shows how unstructured and chaotic the environment can be when decisions are made based on gut instinct instead of data or expertise. Finally, the article serves as a cautionary tale for anyone in a position of power to be aware of the potential pitfalls of being isolated and surrounded by "yes people."

Action items

Research the current state of consumer social media platforms and their impact on loneliness and connection.
Reach out to former colleagues from Twitter to discuss their experiences and perspectives.
Consider the implications of having a powerful leader in a company and the potential for psychological prisons.

Technical terms

mDAU: Monthly Daily Active Users. This is a metric used to measure the number of users who are actively using a product or service on a daily basis.
Reorg: Reorganization. This is a restructuring of a company or organization in order to improve efficiency or effectiveness.
Kerfuffle: A commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting opinions.
Turf War: A competition between two or more people or groups for control of a particular area or resource.
Psychological Safety: A shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.
Mercurial: Quick to change moods or opinions.
Blow Things Up: To cause destruction or disruption.
Level 10 on Hard Mode: A phrase used to describe a situation that is extremely difficult or challenging.
Echo Chamber: A situation in which a person or group only encounters beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered.