Elon Musk is expected to name new product leadership within Twitter and met over the weekend with close friends and advisers on how best to turn around the service he just bought for $44 billion.
Twitter’s top product executives are unlikely to stay at the company with Musk at the helm, according to people familiar with the company who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The new owner is likely to replace Nick Caldwell, Twitter’s head of engineering, and Jay Sullivan, general manager of consumer product and revenue, as he revamps the company and leadership team. Caldwell updated his public Twitter bio to include the word “ex,” while Sullivan deleted his bio entirely.
Musk, Caldwell and Sullivan did not respond to requests for comment. Twitter declined to comment.
It’s not clear who will eventually take over, but Musk has turned to old friends for advice in the early days of his Twitter ownership. He has met regularly with David Sacks, a friend from his days at PayPal; Jason Calacanis, a friend and investor; and Sriram Krishnan, a former Twitter executive and current general partner at venture firm Andreessen Horowitz.
The group has discussed Twitter’s product strategy, although it’s not known if any of them will be full-time leaders at the company. Both Calacanis and Sacks have Twitter email addresses in the company’s internal directory, and Krishnan tweeted Sunday that he is still “very much in my day job” at Andreessen Horowitz.
Musk has also shown interest in bringing back Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter’s former head of product, who was just fired in May, according to three of the people. It is unclear whether Beykpour will return.
Twitter’s new product leadership is just one of a number of changes anticipated at the company following Musk’s latest takeover.
Bloomberg has reported that a number of senior executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, have been fired, with Musk becoming interim CEO. Workers are bracing for more widespread layoffs this week, with some managers spending the weekend compiling lists of employees to be cut.
Whoever Musk chooses to take over the product will have an important role in shaping one of the world’s most influential online platforms. Musk has promised big changes to Twitter, including a greater focus on subscriptions, fewer restrictions on content and the possibility of multiple algorithms for different time frames. It’s also considering charging users for blue verification badges, according to Platformer.
