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Twitter’s ex-Head of Product on Elon, consumer products, culture, more | Kayvon Beykpour

Lenny's Podcast・97 minutes read

Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter led to major changes, including layoffs and structural shifts, differing significantly from Kavon's vision, ultimately resulting in Kavon's firing during Paternity Leave. Despite challenges, the speaker made significant product changes at Twitter, emphasizing the importance of being a user of the product to build something valuable.

Insights

  • Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter led to significant changes, including layoffs and structural shifts, contrasting with Kavon's vision and approach to running the company.
  • Kavon's efforts at Twitter emphasized cultural transformation, innovative product development, and the importance of storytelling to convey the vision internally and externally.
  • Aqua hires like Keith Coleman and Esther Crawford drove ambitious projects at Twitter, balancing entrepreneurial spirit with the company's resources to foster innovation and growth.

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Recent questions

  • How did Elon Musk's takeover impact Twitter?

    Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter led to major changes, including layoffs and structural shifts. Kavon, the former head of product at Twitter, shared insights on transforming Twitter's culture and product development. Elon's approach differed significantly from Kavon's vision, resulting in conflicts and frustrations within the company. Despite challenges, significant impact was made, but frustrations persisted post-acquisition.

  • What inspired the creation of live streaming on social networks?

    Kavon's company Periscope inspired live streaming on various social networks. Despite its success, Periscope faced challenges like poor retention despite significant user growth in various markets. The acquisition by Twitter aimed to leverage its scale and community to enhance Periscope's growth and durability. However, integration with Twitter took too long, allowing competitors like Facebook to replicate and improve upon Periscope's features swiftly.

  • How did aqua hires contribute to Twitter's innovation?

    Aqua hires like Keith Coleman and Esther Crawford led projects such as Community Notes and Creator efforts at Twitter, balancing startup mentality with the resources of a large organization. These entrepreneurial leaders drove ambitious and risky bets, like crowdsource moderation and creator tools, which were initially met with skepticism but proved valuable for Twitter's growth. The strategy of aqua hires allowed for the exploration of new ideas and features that might have been stifled within the larger organizational structure.

  • What challenges did the speaker face at Twitter?

    The speaker, Kavon, faced challenges at Twitter, including conflicts with the functional organizational model, frustrations with cultural change, and disagreements with leadership decisions. Despite efforts to drive innovation and risk-taking, internal resistance and conflicting visions hindered progress. Kavon's firing from Twitter during Paternity Leave was a surprising and frustrating experience, highlighting the difficulties faced in transforming the company's culture and product development.

  • How did Twitter's history impact the speaker's decision-making?

    Twitter's history of spotting consumer behavior changes but failing in execution served as a cautionary tale for the speaker, motivating better decision-making in future product endeavors. Internal competition within Twitter, like conflicting visions for short-form video with Vine and Periscope, led to poor product integration and decision-making. The speaker emphasized the importance of balancing what's right for the organization and the customer, as metrics may not always align with customer benefit.

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Summary

00:00

Elon's Twitter Takeover: A Tale of Conflict

  • Elon and Kavon first met over FaceTime, leading to a subsequent in-person meeting at Twitter HQ.
  • Kavon was the head of product at Twitter and GM of the consumer business until it was sold to Elon Musk.
  • Kavon's company Periscope inspired live streaming on various social networks.
  • Elon's takeover of Twitter led to major changes, including layoffs and structural shifts.
  • Kavon shared insights on transforming Twitter's culture and product development.
  • Elon's approach to running Twitter differed significantly from Kavon's vision.
  • Kavon's firing from Twitter during Paternity Leave was a surprising and frustrating experience.
  • Kavon's dissatisfaction with Twitter's functional organizational model led to conflicts and hindered progress.
  • Prague's appointment as CEO brought structural changes, with Kavon becoming the GM of consumer products.
  • Kavon's passion projects at Twitter, like Community Notes, continued to thrive post his departure.

14:05

"Speaker's Impact at Twitter Amid Changes"

  • Changing culture is challenging, especially when facing resistance and frustration.
  • Despite challenges, impact was made but frustrations persisted.
  • Perog, a proponent of functional structure, changed the company's structure upon becoming CEO.
  • Promoted the speaker to GM of consumer a month before their paternity leave.
  • During paternity leave, Elon Musk joined the board, leading to dramatic changes.
  • Perog let go of the speaker, citing a need for a different direction for the team.
  • Twitter was sold to Elon Musk, offering potential for growth and change.
  • The speaker initially conflicted about continuing with the company post-acquisition.
  • Speaker decided to move on, feeling ready for new challenges.
  • Speaker's efforts at Twitter led to significant product changes and a shift in culture towards innovation and risk-taking.

27:42

"Twitter's Aqua Hires Drive Innovation Success"

  • The speaker felt a sense of responsibility and opportunity in their role at Twitter, emphasizing the importance of being a user of the product to build something valuable.
  • They identified and addressed "sacred cows" at Twitter, such as the character limit and control over tweets, as roadblocks to innovation.
  • Introducing features like "hide replies" allowed users to manage unwanted content without affecting free speech, despite internal resistance.
  • The speaker highlighted the significance of storytelling internally and externally to convey the vision and encourage constructive criticism for product improvement.
  • Cultural change required identifying team members aligned with the vision and swiftly addressing those who were not, a challenge the speaker acknowledged.
  • To accelerate cultural change and drive speculative product initiatives, small aqua hires were made, bringing in entrepreneurial leaders to spearhead projects.
  • Aqua hires like Keith Coleman and Esther Crawford led projects such as Community Notes and Creator efforts, balancing startup mentality with the resources of a large organization.
  • These entrepreneurial leaders drove ambitious and risky bets, like crowdsource moderation and creator tools, which were initially met with skepticism but proved valuable for Twitter's growth.
  • The strategy of aqua hires allowed for the exploration of new ideas and features that might have been stifled within the larger organizational structure.
  • By combining the entrepreneurial spirit of aqua hires with the resources of Twitter, the company was able to innovate and evolve its product offerings effectively.

40:47

"Acquiring founders drives cultural change at Twitter"

  • Mo Olam, an entrepreneur, ran a large organization's fleets, which has undergone iterations and is still in progress.
  • John Barnett and a team acquired the organization from Chroma Labs, showcasing success in acquiring ambitious founders.
  • Acquiring companies and entrusting founders with responsibility and freedom has been effective in driving cultural change and impact at Twitter.
  • Personal experience with Periscope's acquisition led to leadership opportunities, emphasizing the value of taking bets on individuals.
  • Staffing projects with people who believe in the idea and are skilled is crucial for success and productivity.
  • The importance of having a team obsessed with the project's idea to drive ambition, creativity, and hard work.
  • The use of frameworks like Jobs to be Done and OKRs can be limiting if followed strictly, losing nuance and leading to unhelpful processes.
  • Balancing what's right for the organization and the customer is essential, as metrics may not always align with customer benefit.
  • An example from Twitter's history highlights the conflict between metrics-driven decisions and customer experience, emphasizing the need for balance.
  • Recognizing when a framework is leading to subjectively bad decisions is a sign of going too far with its implementation, prompting the need for change.

54:08

"Lessons from Periscope: Balancing Growth and Innovation"

  • Bad decisions were made due to either bad judgment or a flawed process, leading to the need for change.
  • The team's hyperfocus on driving DA (Daily Active users) limited room for innovative bets that could hurt short-term DA but benefit in the long run.
  • To drive usage of a new product like Spaces, strategies like push notifications and prime app real estate were necessary, even if they temporarily impacted DA and revenue.
  • The organization's fixation on quarter-over-quarter DA growth hindered the ability to explore speculative bets with potential long-term benefits.
  • Projects like Community Notes and Fleets were intentionally structured like startups to allow for more flexibility and innovation.
  • Periscope's failure was attributed to poor retention despite significant user growth in various markets.
  • The acquisition by Twitter aimed to leverage its scale and community to enhance Periscope's growth and durability.
  • A consumer product solely focused on live video without asynchronous features may not be sustainable in the long run.
  • Integration with Twitter took too long, allowing competitors like Facebook to replicate and improve upon Periscope's features swiftly.
  • Twitter's history of spotting consumer behavior changes but failing in execution was a cautionary tale for the speaker, motivating better decision-making in future product endeavors.

01:07:31

Twitter's Video Struggles and New Ventures

  • Twitter had the opportunity to excel in video through Vine but faced challenges in execution.
  • Twitter made a mistake by internally competing with Vine, leading to conflicting visions for short-form video.
  • Similar internal competition occurred with Periscope, resulting in separate teams for user-generated and premium live video.
  • Twitter's lack of unified leadership caused conflicting decisions and poor product integration.
  • Clubhouse inspired Twitter's audio feature, Spaces, after Periscope's failure to focus on synchronous conversations.
  • Twitter shamelessly sought inspiration from Clubhouse, putting their spin on the idea for Spaces.
  • Being a keen user of products is the best way to improve product-building skills.
  • The speaker started a new company last year, focusing on consumer products, but details are yet to be revealed.
  • Favorite book genres for the speaker include sci-fi and mystery, recommending works by Neil Stevenson and Patrick Rothfuss.
  • Engaging with imaginative literature helps the speaker stay creative and imaginative in all aspects of life.

01:21:48

"Sci-Fi TV Inspires Innovation and Motivation"

  • Sci-Fi TV, like Star Trek, has been a significant source of inspiration and motivation for the speaker, leading to innovative ideas like live streaming as a form of teleportation.
  • Recent movies and TV shows that have inspired the speaker include "Dune," "Oppenheimer," "Tokyo Vice," "Succession," and "Devs," with a particular mention of the show "Devs" for its tech and AI focus.
  • The speaker mentions the show "Three Body Problem" as being highly recommended but has not yet watched it due to concerns about living up to the hype.
  • When hiring, the speaker finds it insightful to ask candidates about their experiences with both failed and successful projects to gauge their self-reflection, risk-taking, and learning from failure.
  • The speaker praises the AI product "Perplexity" for its ability to replace Google search in certain use cases and mentions it as a daily driver on their home screen.
  • The speaker highlights a startup called "Particle" reimagining the news experience with AI, offering a unique format for news stories and inviting beta sign-ups.
  • A board game called "Krokinole" is recommended by the speaker for its captivating gameplay suitable for all age ranges, providing a unique and engaging experience.
  • A work ethic lesson from the speaker's first boss at age 14 emphasizes the importance of always finding something productive to do, even when idle, shaping the speaker's approach to work.
  • The speaker shares insights about Scott Belsky, known for driving cultural change at Adobe, and recounts a humorous story of Scott's early support for the speaker's project, likening him to the first "Periscoper."
  • To connect with the speaker, they can be found on Twitter under the handle "kavz," and they welcome outreach for advice, help, or potential investment opportunities.

01:35:20

"Lenny Podcast: Past Episodes and Upcoming Episode"

  • Visit Lenny podcast.com for past episodes and more information about the show.
  • Stay tuned for the upcoming episode.
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