Kayvon Beykpour

Guest: Kayvon Beykpour - Former Head of Product at Twitter. Kayvon was instrumental in transforming Twitter's product culture from stagnant to dynamic, leading initiatives like Twitter Blue, Spaces, and Super Follows. He joined Twitter through the acquisition of his company, Periscope, a pioneering live-streaming platform. Key Takeaways: Cultural Transformation: To change a risk-averse culture, start with small wins to build momentum and trust. Use storytelling to align and inspire teams around a new vision. Sacred Cows as Roadmaps: Identify and challenge sacred cows within the organization as they can serve as a roadmap for innovation and change. Acquihires for Innovation: Bringing in entrepreneurial talent through acquihires can drive ambitious projects and cultural shifts, as seen with initiatives like Spaces and Communities. Frameworks with Nuance: Avoid rigid adherence to frameworks like Jobs-to-be-Done or OKRs. Use them as tools, not rules, and balance them with good judgment and product taste. Competing with Giants: When competing with major platforms, ensure rapid execution and integration to leverage existing user bases, as seen with Periscope's challenges against Facebook. Topics Covered: Product culture transformation, acquihires, Jobs-to-be-Done framework, Twitter's product strategy, Periscope's journey, competing with major platforms, consumer product development.