A former product director at Twitter, now renamed X, has provided insights into the inner workings of the social media company and shared some of the idiosyncrasies that came with working under entrepreneur Elon Musk. In a lengthy 2,400-word tweet and accompanying video, the former director, Crawford, described Musk's previous Twitter as bureaucratically shackled, "amazing and scary," and his new Twitter as "difficult" and dramatic. She was one of the few members of the original Twitter team who chose to stay at the company after Musk took over, hoping that the billionaire would steer the company in the right direction.
However, Crawford was eventually fired along with 200 others in a round of layoffs in February. She acknowledged Musk's bold and inspiring qualities, describing him as incredibly charming and genuinely funny, despite his tendency to repeat the same stories and jokes. However, she also highlighted his lack of empathy and his unpredictability, making many Twitter employees afraid to share bad news or differing opinions with him.
Crawford observed that Musk's leadership style led to the formation of an inner circle of "fanatics and zealots" who unquestioningly supported everything he said. This lack of criticism eventually led Musk to make major decisions based on random feedback, polls on Twitter, and advice from friends and biographers, rather than consulting employees or trusted advisors.
Since Musk took over Twitter in October 2022, he has introduced numerous new cryptocurrency and finance-related features to the platform. As part of the recent rebranding to "X," Musk plans to turn the social media platform into an "app for everything, " integrating electronic payments, voice calls, and potentially interactions with the meme token Dogecoin (DOGE).
Despite the challenges and shifts under Musk's leadership, Crawford's experience sheds light on the complex dynamics and unique decision-making process at X, as the company aims to evolve and expand its offerings beyond the traditional social media model.
