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Twitter’s former Head of Product opens up: being fired, meeting Elon, changing stagnant culture, building consumer product, more | Kayvon Beykpour

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Apr 28, 2024

Guest

Kayvon Beykpour

In this insightful discussion, Kayvon Beykpour, former Head of Product at Twitter and the mastermind behind Periscope, shares his journey from leading product changes to facing abrupt layoffs after Elon Musk's acquisition. He delves into the challenges of revitalizing Twitter's stagnant culture, the intricate balance between innovation and copying successful models, and the lessons learned from Periscope’s rise and fall. With candid advice on building consumer products, he emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs over rigid frameworks.

01:35:27

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Transcript

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Episode notes

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ANECDOTE

Meeting Elon

Kayvon Beykpour and Scott Belsky met with Elon Musk at Twitter HQ after Musk's acquisition.
They discussed Twitter's past, present, and future, with Walter Isaacson quietly observing.

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ADVICE

Changing Product Culture

To change a stagnant product culture, start by identifying sacred cows and challenge them.
Build alignment and excitement around a shared vision by repetitive storytelling.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Hide Replies Resistance

An engineer discouraged a PM from working on the "hide replies" feature, claiming it was bad for their career.
This highlighted Twitter's risk-averse culture.

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Innovative Strategies and Leadership Lessons in Product Development

01:39 • 4min

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Navigating Change at Twitter

06:07 • 22min

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Navigating Cultural Change at Twitter

28:33 • 14min

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Team Dynamics and Framework Flexibility

42:39 • 8min

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Balancing Metrics and Experience

50:12 • 7min

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The Rise and Fall of Periscope

57:31 • 25min

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Exploring Cinematic Inspirations and Innovative Products

01:22:31 • 5min

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Innovations in News and Personal Insights

01:28:00 • 7min

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Reamde

Neal Stephenson

Reamde is a technothriller that delves into the world of online gaming, international espionage, and cybercrime. The story centers around a fictional MMORPG called T'Rain and the real-world implications of virtual gold farming. It explores themes of technology's impact on society, human nature, and the blurring lines between virtual and physical realities. The novel is known for its fast-paced action sequences and intricate plot twists.

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind is a heroic fantasy novel that tells the life story of Kvothe, an infamous adventurer and musician. The story is presented in a 'story-within-a-story' format, where Kvothe recounts his life to a scribe named Chronicler. The narrative spans from Kvothe's childhood in a troupe of traveling performers to his years as a student at a prestigious school of magic, and through various trials and hardships. The book is renowned for its vivid world-building, rich dialogue, and the emotional depth of its characters[2][4][5].

Cryptonomicon

Neal Stephenson

Cryptonomicon, a historical fiction novel by Neal Stephenson, follows the intertwined stories of two groups of people separated by time: one during World War II and the other in the present day. The novel explores themes of cryptography, technology, and the nature of war. Stephenson's intricate world-building creates a unique and immersive experience for the reader. The novel's complex plot unfolds through a series of interconnected events, weaving together personal stories with grand historical events. Cryptonomicon is a challenging but rewarding read for those interested in intellectual exploration and intricate storytelling.

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:

• The story of being let go from Twitter after Elon’s acquisition

• How he turned Twitter’s stagnant culture around

• Kayvon’s thoughts on the limitations of frameworks like Jobs to Be Done

• Why Periscope failed

• Advice for building consumer products

• When to copy, when to innovate

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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/twitters-former-head-of-product-kayvon-beykpour

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Where to find Kayvon Beykpour:

• X: https://twitter.com/kayvz

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayvz/

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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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

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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

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

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