Twitter vs. X: Startup Lessons from Rebranding

\"If you give a team... this singular number to optimize for, just everything else goes out the window... You just end up with the whole world enslaved for this enormous paper clip boss.\"

• Avoid overemphasis on single KPIs.
• Align metrics with delivering user value.
• Consider consequences of metric-driven decisions.

\"It goes from a tight-knit social community... to an engagement thing... When you give a team, especially a product manager, this singular number to optimize for, just everything else goes out the window.\"

• Maintain core user experience during scaling.
• Avoid focusing solely on single metrics.
• Assess the impact of growth strategies.

\"If I am highly engaged in content that ultimately I really don't like, long term retention will be poorer... Your best users churn and go somewhere else.\"

• Focus on delivering lasting value to users.
• Avoid content or features that may drive users away.
• Measure success by user retention, not just engagement.

\"So it goes from a sort of this tight-knit social community... to this like, just engagement thing... All the pressure ultimately pushes you towards this algorithmic feed.\"

• Acknowledge how network effects change user experience.
• Beware of losing core value in pursuit of engagement.
• Resist pressures that detract from your product's essence.

\"When people need to like record long videos telling other people how to use your product, you've probably done something wrong... The question is, again, like, how did we get here? Like why were these changes made?\"

• Ensure usability and clarity in your product design.
• Listen to user feedback when they struggle.
• Align changes with both vision and user needs.

\"This is a perfect example of like a product expanding beyond what I think the users think of it as... The job of a founder or product leader... is to clearly articulate to the entire team and to the world what this product is for and how you're supposed to use it.\"

• Define and communicate your product's purpose.
• Align expansions with user expectations.
• Guide your team with a clear vision.

\"It might be really easy just to say, well, if they're watching more content... that must be good. But yeah, me watching a bunch of fistfight videos is not what I actually want, even though... I'm gonna keep watching them.\"

• Use algorithms to deliver valuable content.
• Avoid overemphasizing engagement over quality.
• Ensure content aligns with user interests.

\"It's just astonishing because Twitter... got the verb, you know, like to tweet. When your product gets the verb, you won... So how did we come up with our product names?\"

• Choose a memorable and meaningful name.
• Avoid rebranding well-established products.
• Ensure the name resonates with users.

\"This is where I think founder CEOs do have an advantage. They have the kind of moral authority of like, I started this company and this is what I believe and this is where we're going.\"

• Enforce a clear product vision as a founder.
• Ensure consistency and purpose in product development.
• Leverage founder authority to guide the team.

\"If you're mindlessly optimizing for a single metric to the exclusion of all other factors, you're probably gonna lead yourself down one of these rabbit holes where you end up with an engagement farm.\"

• Balance metrics with user satisfaction.
• Prioritize long-term retention over short-term metrics.
• Avoid metrics that conflict with user well-being.