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‘Here is my pseudo-obligatory gratitude’, Twitter's head of engineering resigns a day after DeSantis launch fiasco
A day after Twitter's technical glitches marred Ron DeSantis's Presidential bid launch the platform's head of engineering, Foad Dabiri, has stepped down.
A day after Twitter's technical glitches marred Ron DeSantis's Presidential bid launch the platform's head of engineering, Foad Dabiri, has stepped down. It is still not known whether he was asked to go by his boss Elon Musk who faced severe criticism and embarrassment due to the technical issues.
Without sharing details or reasons, Foad Dabiri announced his exit on Twitter, '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.’
In a series of discreet tweets he called out his time at Twitter as post and pre acquisition and claimed the Musk era came with its ‘fair share of challenges, but they also shared a grand mission and a team of extraordinary individuals. What truly made Twitter exceptional was, above all else, the people.’
He even admitted that Musk as a boss had made work 'challenging', with plenty of 'outside noise', but put a positive spin on the situation, saying he had learned enormously from the experience.
A Bloomberg report quoted, David Sacks, who moderated a discussion between Elon Musk and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Twitter will “keep experimenting” with its audio platform Spaces to give political candidates a chance to connect with an audience, despite the technical glitches in a high-profile event.
Musk and Sacks said the problems were due to 'server strain' and 'melting the servers', claiming that it was the largest event ever hosted online - but many pointed out that far larger events had been held without a hitch.
The Twitter Spaces event was intended to kick off DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign. More than 500,000 people were waiting for more than 20 minutes for the event to start, and people who were trying to join were frequently kicked out. DeSantis and Musk joked that they broke the internet.
The malfunction was widely mocked online and Sacks failed to challenge DeSantis on key points such as his fight with the Walt Disney Co., or constraints on what schools teach on race or sexuality, as well as the decision to allow only supporters of the candidate to ask questions. Sacks defended the discussion, saying it went perfectly after the initial fail and that the one-hour conversation wasn’t enough to cover every issue.
Musk has been silent over after the technical glitches but retweeted David Sacks tweet calling the event a success, ‘@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!’
Dabiri posted a lengthy thread, thanking his colleagues for their work and friendship. ‘To say it was challenging at the outset would be an understatement. The change was massive and rapid; we came through and emerged stronger, thanks to the remarkable team that held the fort.’
Dabiri started a health tech company Wanda and after 5 years stepped down to join Twitter in 2019. 'Twitter is a place that defies comprehension,' he wrote.
(With Agency Inputs)
