Twitter’s former Head of Product opens up: being fired, meeting Elon, changing stagnant culture, building consumer…
Brought to you by: • Enterpret—Transform customer feedback into product growth — Kayvon Beykpour was the longest-serving head of product at Twitter and was GM of Twitter’s consumer division until the platform was acquired by Elon Musk. He originally joined Twitter in 2015 through the acquisition of his company, Periscope, the largest live video streaming platform at the time. Periscope pioneered technology that inspired Instagram Live, TikTok Live, Facebook Live, and other social networks’ expansion into video streaming. In our conversation, we discuss:
Some takeaways:
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, and YouTube. Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/twitters-former-head-of-product-kayvon-beykpour Where to find Kayvon Beykpour: • X: https://twitter.com/kayvz • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayvz/ In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Kayvon’s background (04:31) Getting Elon up to speed at Twitter (11:34) The story of being let go from Twitter after Elon’s acquisition (21:09) Changing the product culture at Twitter (29:44) Building the “hide replies” feature (32:02) Sacred crows, taking bold bets, and reigniting growth (34:28) Aquihires and their impact (42:40) Tips for successful acquisitions and staffing (47:00) The limitations of frameworks like JTBD (53:20) Signs you’ve gone too far with a framework (57:44) Lessons from building Periscope (01:00:41) Reasons why Periscope failed (01:07:24) The challenges of implementing video at Twitter (01:12:05) Copying ideas in good taste (01:17:58) How to get better at building consumer products (01:19:51) What Kayvon is building (01:20:31) Lightning round Referenced: • Lessons on building product sense, navigating AI, optimizing the first mile, and making it through the messy middle | Scott Belsky (Adobe, Behance): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/lessons-on-building-product-sense-navigating-ai-optimizing-the-first-mile-and-making-it-through-t/ • What it’s like to sell your startup for ~$120 million before it’s even launched: Meet Twitter’s new prized possession, Periscope: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-periscope-and-why-twitter-bought-it-2015-3 • Walter Isaacson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-isaacson-b8b81520/ • Elon Musk on X: https://twitter.com/elonmusk • Parag Agrawal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parag-agrawal-5a14742a/ • Jack Dorsey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-dorsey-a43b07242/ • Blackboard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackboard_Inc. • Keith Coleman on X: https://twitter.com/kcoleman • Esther Crawford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthercrawford/ • Twitter acquires Chroma Labs: https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/twitter-acquires-chroma-labs-story-aqvcRPAoYXqXJuAbefA6cN.html • John Barnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarnettt/ • Jobs to Be Done framework: https://jobs-to-be-done.com/jobs-to-be-done-a-framework-for-customer-needs-c883cbf61c90 • Hot takes and techno-optimism from tech’s top power couple: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/hot-takes-and-techno-optimism-from-techs-top-power-couple-sriram-and-aarthi/ • Nike Is Unveiling the Kobe 11 Tomorrow Using Periscope: https://sneakernews.com/2015/12/13/nike-is-unveiling-the-kobe-11-tomorrow-using-periscope/ • Chris Sacca’s website: https://chrissacca.com/ • Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/formedia/tools/facebook-live • Kevin Hart on X: https://twitter.com/KevinHart4real • Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/ • Vine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_(service) • Paul Davison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davison/ • Rohan Seth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohanseth/ • Cryptonomicon: https://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0380788624 • Reamde: https://www.amazon.com/Reamde-Novel-Neal-Stephenson-ebook/dp/B004XVN0WW • The Name of the Wind: https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle-Book-ebook/dp/B0010SKUYM • Star Trek official site: https://www.startrek.com/ • Dune: part 2: https://www.dunemovie.com/ • Oppenheimer on Peacock: https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-movies/oppenheimer • Tokyo Vice on Max: https://www.max.com/shows/tokyo-vice/e7d93204-7f98-4e62-ab52-6c1da053f942 • Devs on Hulu: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/devs • Nick Offerman on X: https://twitter.com/nick_offerman • 3 Body Problem on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81024821 • Perplexity AI: https://www.perplexity.ai/ • Particle: https://www.particle.news/ • Crokinole board game: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/521/crokinole Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy Lenny's Newsletter, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe. |
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