Twitter's Mainstream User Problem

Shaan Puri shares his perspective on Twitter's fundamental challenge as a platform, highlighting the disconnect between power users' concerns and mainstream adoption barriers.

• Core Platform Issues:

  • Twitter's problems mainly affect power users
    • Bot problems
    • Verification issues
    • Algorithm complaints about tweet serving

• Growth and Scale Limitations:

  • Platform has ~300M users
  • Significantly smaller than other major social services (5x smaller)
  • Limited growth compared to competitors

• Mainstream User Adoption Challenge:

  • Average users (like "mom") don't avoid Twitter because of technical issues
  • They simply don't see the fundamental value proposition
  • Common response is "I don't get it" or "I don't need this"

• Contrast with Other Social Platforms:

  • Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat provide clear use cases:
    • Snapchat: Seeing pictures of kids
    • Instagram: Following specific interests (e.g., Bollywood)
    • Each platform gives users a specific reason to need it

• Core Problem:

  • Twitter only addresses needs for specific user types (like power users)
  • Fails to provide compelling value for broader population
  • To increase value, platform needs to address needs beyond current user base