Twitter engineering boss Foad Dabiri announced that he was departing the company one day after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ much-anticipated launch of his 2024 presidential bid.
The popular Republican governor opted to use Twitter Spaces to announce his candidacy and the big moment was beset by technical glitches. Foes from both parties claimed the decision ultimately backfired as the audio stream crashed repeatedly.
“We’ve got so many people here that I think we are kind of melting the servers, which is a good sign,” said venture capitalist David Sacks, who was hosting the event that included Twitter owner Elon Musk.
There were about 678,000 people tuned in as Twitter suffered repeated crashes, according to Reuters, which noted that “about 3 million people listened to Musk’s interview with the BBC on Twitter Spaces last month.”
Sacks called it “the biggest room ever held on social media,” and displayed a graphic showing 3.9 million tuned in — Musk retweeted his offering.
@GovRonDeSantis announced he’s running for president on Twitter. This was by far the biggest room ever held on social media. Twitter performed great after some initial scaling challenges. Thanks Twitter Team for adapting so quickly to make history!https://t.co/mTJ2INQ1Y7
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) May 24, 2023
As for Dabiri, his goodbye message left no hint of controversy or animosity. He even suggested that it was his decision.
“After almost four incredible years at Twitter, I decided to leave the nest yesterday. The combination of the fantastic community, the impact it has, and its limitless potential sets Twitter apart,” he tweeted, part of a long thread.
After almost four incredible years at Twitter, I decided to leave the nest yesterday. The combination of the fantastic community, the impact it has, and its limitless potential sets Twitter apart. So, here is my pseudo-obligatory gratitude thread: #LoveWhereYouWorked
— Foad Dabiri (@foaddabiri) May 25, 2023
Dabiri was also complimentary of his now-former boss.
“And then came ‘2.0.’ What an extraordinary journey it has been. To say it was challenging at the outset would be an understatement,” he wrote. “The change was massive and rapid; we came through and emerged stronger, thanks to the remarkable team that held the fort.”
“Working with [Musk] has been highly educational, and it was enlightening to see how his principles and vision are shaping the future of this company,” Dabiri added.
Working with @elonmusk has been highly educational, and it was enlightening to see how his principles and vision are shaping the future of this company.
— Foad Dabiri (@foaddabiri) May 25, 2023
Dabiri was even more complimentary of Twitter itself, and the team he was leaving behind.
“Twitter is a place that defies comprehension. It’s unique, peculiar, remarkable, and resilient, all thanks to the brilliant and capable individuals who have built and continue to shape it,” he tweeted. “It’s impossible to grasp the inner workings of this platform and what goes on on a daily basis unless you’ve been fortunate enough to experience it firsthand. So kudos to the team that, despite all the outside noise, keep going and going strong.”
It’s impossible to grasp the inner workings of this platform and what goes on on a daily basis unless you’ve been fortunate enough to experience it firsthand. So kudos to the team that, despite all the outside noise, keep going and going strong.
— Foad Dabiri (@foaddabiri) May 25, 2023
And while there was plenty of mockery over Twitter’s stumble, directed at Ron DeSantis of course, his campaign announced that the candidate brought in $8.2 million in fundraising in the first 24 hours after he declared that he was running — for context, here’s a comparison to Donald Trump:
Trump did a full-court press for money after being indicted and raised $4 million in 24 hours.
In contrast, despite some tech issues, DeSantis raised $8.2 million 24 hours after launching on Twitter Spaces.
If you listen carefully, you can hear the screaming in Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/yi6ySrGpRa
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) May 25, 2023
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