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Former Twitter executive, Esther Crawford, recently shared her insights on Elon Musk’s leadership style and its impact on the company, now known as X.
In a candid post on Musk’s social media network, Crawford expressed surprise at Musk’s willingness to make drastic changes and his tendency to rely on gut instinct rather than data. She described him as living in an “echo chamber” and highlighted the toll that money and fame can take on mental health.
During her time as Twitter Blue product manager, Crawford found herself constantly observing Musk’s intense dedication to work, which often left him appearing isolated. However, she also defended him, acknowledging his talent in tackling complex engineering challenges at SpaceX and Tesla. Yet, she argued that a social networking platform requires a different type of social-emotional intelligence.
Crawford did not hold back in her critique of Musk’s leadership, highlighting the challenges faced by employees who feared being called into meetings or delivering negative news to him. She expressed concerns about the lack of empathy and process in his decision-making, leading to product and business choices driven by his gut instinct, rather than informed by data or expertise.
The former executive’s assessment shed light on the turmoil that emerged during her tenure, particularly with the launch of Twitter Blue, an early decision by Musk. The rollout faced difficulties, including impersonation issues, verification badge problems, and even market-moving false information from fraudulent accounts.
Musk’s leadership approach has had broader consequences for Twitter, with the platform’s advertising business collapsing as marketers grew disenchanted with his management style and content moderation layoffs. In response, Musk shifted his focus towards building a subscriber base and introducing a pay model for the platform.
The consequences of these changes have been met with mixed reactions from users and advertisers, who expressed dissatisfaction with new charges for previously free services, changes to content moderation, and the return of previously banned right-wing accounts.
As Musk continues to steer Twitter’s transformation and pursue his vision of a super-app similar to China’s WeChat, his leadership style and decision-making processes will undoubtedly remain under scrutiny. The insights shared by Esther Crawford provide a unique perspective on the challenges faced within the company during this transformative period.
