In a surprising disclosure from the early days of Android's ecosystem, it has been revealed that Google itself was behind the creation of some of the platform's first social applications, such as Twitter. This information surfaced during a podcast with Sara Beykpour, co-founder of the AI-driven news startup Particle and former senior director of product management at Twitter. During a conversation with Michael Mignano, a partner at Lightspeed, Beykpour delved into the beginnings of the Twitter app for Android, noting that it was essentially a prototype provided by Google to demonstrate the capabilities of Android. This initiative was part of Google’s strategy to encourage adoption of its operating system by building the initial versions of popular apps like Twitter and Foursquare.
Beykpour joined Twitter in 2009 as a tools engineer when the company had merely 75 employees and later transitioned to focus on its mobile applications. She recalled the acquisition of Tweetie by Twitter, which laid the foundation for Twitter's first iOS app. In contrast, the Android version had its roots in Google's early development efforts, a fact confirmed by a 2010 Google blog post detailing the implementation of Android best practices within the Twitter app, penned by main software engineer Virgil Dobjanschi.
Beyond her work with Twitter's Android app, Beykpour's career at Twitter included significant projects like Vine, which she helped launch on Android just before Instagram introduced its video feature, a move she believes marked the beginning of the end for Vine despite its popularity. Discussing the shutdown of Vine, which she oversaw, Beykpour expressed that it was a financial decision for Twitter, despite differing opinions that suggest the app could have been better supported.
Beykpour also shared insights from her time with Periscope right after its acquisition by Twitter, including the necessity of rejoining Twitter under an alias to keep the acquisition secret. She spoke about the challenges of securing resources for developing features aimed at power users, such as journalists, highlighting the difficulty in defining Twitter's core user base and measuring engagement beyond traditional metrics.
Now, with her focus turned to Particle, Beykpour aims to transform how news is consumed through an AI application that offers multiple perspectives and high-quality journalism, exploring innovative monetization strategies beyond advertisements, subscriptions, or micropayments. Particle is currently in discussions with potential publishing partners to determine how best to compensate them for their contributions.
