Latest news with #tbh
The Hindu
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Elon Musk's X platform hire Nikita Bier as head of product
Nikita Bier, the co-founder of social networking apps like tbh and Gas, has joined X as head of product. Bier, who had been quietly working with Elon Musk's social media platform as an advisor since October last year, had helped integrate xAI's chatbot Grok on to the platform. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I've officially posted my way to the top: I'm joining X as Head of Product. X is the most important social network in the world. It's where internet culture originates and where the world's most influential people convene,' Bier said in a post on X. 'While I already spend every waking hour on this app, I'll now be spending that time helping others unlock that same value. And we'll certainly be leveraging the power of Grok to create hyper-relevant timelines and help people understand everything that's happening,' he went on. Bier sold tbh to Meta in 2017 after it went viral, while Gas was acquired by Discord in 2023. Since then, he has acquired a reputation for building consumer apps that quickly gain popularity. The news indicates that X will focus on pushing user engagement further as it faces stagnant user growth and revenue generation. Bier also joined Lightspeed Ventures as a product growth partner in September last year and serves as an advisor for Solana Labs.
Business Insider
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
X's new head of product said he got the job by posting his way to the top
X's new head of product, Nikita Bier, said he got the job by posting his way to the top. Bier said he spends "every waking hour" on X. In 2022, he tweeted at Elon Musk asking for the product head role. Nikita Bier, a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, posted a picture on X on Monday with the platform's owner, Elon Musk, writing about how he landed his new appointment. "While I already spend every waking hour on this app, I'll now be spending that time helping others unlock that same value," he said in the post. Ladies and gentlemen, I've officially posted my way to the top:I'm joining @X as Head of Product. is the most important social network in the world. It's where internet culture originates and where the world's most influential people my community and — Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) June 30, 2025 Musk reposted Bier's announcement with the caption, "Welcome to X!" The appointment was a long time coming for Bier — he has had his eye on the role for more than three years. In April 2022, shortly after Musk took over X — which was then called Twitter — Bier tweeted at Musk asking for the role: "@elonmusk Hire me to run Twitter as VP of Product." "Twitter has the potential to be the leading messenger, groups app & content creation tool," he said in the post. Shortly after his appointment on Monday, Bier added the comment "Never give up" to his old post. Bier worked as a Meta product manager from 2017 to 2021. He cofounded tbh, an anonymous polling app for teenagers, which was acquired by Facebook in 2017. Less than a year later, Facebook shut down the app, citing "low usage." Bier also cofounded Gas, a social media app similar in function to tbh. Discord acquired it in January 2023 and shut it down in November. Along with being a serial entrepreneur, Bier is also a serial poster. He posts on X several times daily and has garnered a following of over half a million on the app. Over the years, he has provided Musk with product advice on X. In January 2023, Bier wrote that he would pay Musk $100 to "revert all product changes back" to what they were before he acquired Twitter.
Business Insider
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
X's new head of product said he got the job by posting his way to the top
X's new head of product, Nikita Bier, said he got the job by posting his way to the top. Bier said he spends "every waking hour" on X. In 2022, he tweeted at Elon Musk asking for the product head role. Here's how X's new head of product said he got the job: "I've officially posted my way to the top." Nikita Bier, a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, posted a picture on X on Monday with the platform's owner, Elon Musk, writing about how he landed his new appointment. "While I already spend every waking hour on this app, I'll now be spending that time helping others unlock that same value," he said in the post. Ladies and gentlemen, I've officially posted my way to the top: I'm joining @X as Head of Product. 𝕏 is the most important social network in the world. It's where internet culture originates and where the world's most influential people convene. Finding my community and… — Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) June 30, 2025 Musk reposted Bier's announcement with the caption, "Welcome to X!" The appointment was a long time coming for Bier — he has had his eye on the role for more than three years. In April 2022, shortly after Musk took over X — which was then called Twitter — Bier tweeted at Musk asking for the role: "@elonmusk Hire me to run Twitter as VP of Product." "Twitter has the potential to be the leading messenger, groups app & content creation tool," he said in the post. Shortly after his appointment on Monday, Bier added the comment "Never give up" to his old post. Bier worked as a Meta product manager from 2017 to 2021. He cofounded tbh, an anonymous polling app for teenagers, which was acquired by Facebook in 2017. Less than a year later, Facebook shut down the app, citing "low usage." Bier also cofounded Gas, a social media app similar in function to tbh. Discord acquired it in January 2023 and shut it down in November. Along with being a serial entrepreneur, Bier is also a serial poster. He posts on X several times daily and has garnered a following of over half a million on the app. Over the years, he has provided Musk with product advice on X. In January 2023, Bier wrote that he would pay Musk $100 to "revert all product changes back" to what they were before he acquired Twitter.
The Verge
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
X has a new head of product.
Posted Jul 1, 2025 at 12:10 AM UTC X has a new head of product. Nikita Bier, a co-founder of tbh (acquired by Meta, then Facebook, in 2017) and Gas (acquired by Discord in 2023), will lead product at the social network. Bier once made a pitch for the role directly to Musk on X in 2022, shortly after Musk revealed his intentions to buy the company (then Twitter).
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
X Hires New Head of Product to Re-Ignite Growth
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. This could be a significant hiring for X, and the future development of the app. Today, app designer Nikita Bier has announced that he is joining X as head of product, which will see Bier bring his expertise to the app, and could spark all-new growth opportunities. Bier is the creator of two previously viral apps, in 'tbh,' which Meta acquired in 2017, and 'Gas,' which was acquired by Discord in 2023. Both tbh and Gas are considered case studies in viral marketing, with both gaining millions of users in short spans of time, before being acquired by larger companies. Bier has also advised on several other app projects, and his expertise in user dynamics could be of significant benefit for X, as it looks to regain growth momentum. As per Bier's announcement: 'X is the most important social network in the world. It's where internet culture originates and where the world's most influential people convene. Finding my community and building an audience on X has impacted my life more than any single thing: it's unlocked friendships, professional opportunities and it's even where I met my girlfriend. While I already spend every waking hour on this app, I'll now be spending that time helping others unlock that same value.' Bier says that he plans on 'leveraging the power of Grok to create hyper-relevant timelines,' in order to help X users better understand everything that's happening. It could be a big hire, and again, with X losing users, and relevance, since the name change from Twitter, while also now facing a significant market challenge from Meta's rival Threads, X needs an injection of innovation to spark more interest in the app. So how will Bier be able to help X transform itself, and become a more culturally relevant platform once again? Well, more AI-aligned timelines could be one aspect, and ensuring that users are getting the most relevant posts displayed to them every time they log in. That's been key to TikTok's success, with its almighty algorithm able to align itself to your interests within a few swipes. Maybe, X could look to do the same, to ensure that the 'For You' main feed is a more engaging mix of valuable content for each user. Or maybe, Bier will look to integrate elements of his past apps, with both tbh and Gas using anonymous compliments to spark engagement between users. That seems less likely to resonate on X, but maybe there are aspects to this that will apply, though Bier will really be bringing his broader product understanding to the app, in alignment with Elon Musk's vision. Which is probably the bigger element to consider. Elon has a very specific set of ideas in mind as to how he wants the app to be, and it'll be interesting to see if and how Bier can align with this, while also implementing his own input. And with X continuing to push into payments, and facilitating more use cases in the app, there could be some conflicts with that dynamic, and what exactly Bier can do within the framework of what Musk wants X to be. But it does seem like a potentially valuable partnership, which could end up delivering for X.
