This may very well be a big hiring for X, and the long run growth of the app.
Immediately, app designer Nikita Bier has introduced that he’s becoming a member of X as head of product, which is able to see Bier deliver his experience to the app, and will spark all-new progress alternatives.
Bier is the creator of two beforehand viral apps, in “tbh,” which Meta acquired in 2017, and “Fuel,” which was acquired by Discord in 2023. Each tbh and Fuel are thought of case research in viral advertising and marketing, with each gaining hundreds of thousands of customers in brief spans of time, earlier than being acquired by bigger firms.
Bier has additionally suggested on a number of different app tasks, and his experience in person dynamics may very well be of serious profit for X, because it seems to regain progress momentum.
As per Bier’s announcement:
“X is an important social community on the planet. It is the place web tradition originates and the place the world’s most influential folks convene. Discovering my neighborhood and constructing an viewers on X has impacted my life greater than any single factor: it is unlocked friendships, skilled alternatives and it is even the place I met my girlfriend. Whereas I already spend each waking hour on this app, I will now be spending that point serving to others unlock that very same worth.”
Bier says that he plans on “leveraging the ability of Grok to create hyper-relevant timelines,” in an effort to assist X customers higher perceive every thing that is occurring.
It may very well be an enormous rent, and once more, with X shedding customers, and relevance, because the identify change from Twitter, whereas additionally now dealing with a big market problem from Meta’s rival Threads, X wants an injection of innovation to spark extra curiosity within the app.
So how will Bier be capable to assist X remodel itself, and change into a extra culturally related platform as soon as once more?
Nicely, extra AI-aligned timelines may very well be one side, and guaranteeing that customers are getting essentially the most related posts exhibited to them each time they log in. That’s been key to TikTok’s success, with its almighty algorithm capable of align itself to your pursuits inside just a few swipes.
Perhaps, X may look to do the identical, to make sure that the “For You” foremost feed is a extra participating mixture of worthwhile content material for every person.
Or possibly, Bier will look to combine components of his previous apps, with each tbh and Fuel utilizing nameless compliments to spark engagement between customers.
That appears much less more likely to resonate on X, however possibly there are features to this that may apply, although Bier will actually be bringing his broader product understanding to the app, in alignment with Elon Musk’s imaginative and prescient.
Which might be the larger aspect to contemplate. Elon has a really particular set of concepts in thoughts as to how he needs the app to be, and it’ll be fascinating to see if and the way Bier can align with this, whereas additionally implementing his personal enter.
And with X persevering with to push into funds, and facilitating extra use circumstances within the app, there may very well be some conflicts with that dynamic, and what precisely Bier can do inside the framework of what Musk needs X to be.
But it surely does seem to be a doubtlessly worthwhile partnership, which may find yourself delivering for X.
