Foad Dabiri announced his departure from Twitter a day after experiencing technical glitches during the launch of Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign on the platform. In a tweet, Dabiri stated, "After almost four incredible years at Twitter, I decided to leave the nest yesterday."
The livestream of Mr. DeSantis' campaign launch on Twitter encountered problems, causing disruptions. Since its acquisition by Elon Musk, Twitter has undergone significant changes, with over 80% of its workforce being reduced. Dabiri, who served as the engineering lead for Twitter's Growth organization, mentioned in a tweet that he had witnessed two distinct eras at the company before and after its acquisition by the billionaire last year.
Describing the transition to Twitter's "2.0" as "massive and rapid," Dabiri acknowledged the initial challenges associated with it. Although he did not explicitly state the reason for leaving Twitter or whether it was linked to the DeSantis event issues, Dabiri expressed appreciation for working with Elon Musk, highlighting how Musk's principles and vision are shaping the company's future.
As Wednesday evening's Twitter conversation gained momentum, hundreds of thousands of users had already left the platform. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is considered a prominent contender for the Republican Party's nomination in the 2024 general election, posing a potential challenge to former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Musk acknowledged the challenges of reducing the workforce from nearly 8,000 employees at the time of the acquisition to approximately 1,500.
Since taking control of Twitter, Mr. Musk has implemented significant layoffs, including engineers responsible for site operations and technical problem-solving.
Despite technical hiccups during the launch, Mr. DeSantis' team swiftly addressed the issues, proclaiming on Twitter that the announcement had generated immense excitement and sharing a link to the campaign website.
Bryan Griffin, Mr. DeSantis' press secretary, claimed that the online event raised $1 million within an hour.
According to figures from Reuters news agency, the Twitter event initially attracted over 600,000 listeners, but the audience diminished to fewer than 300,000 by its conclusion.
During the livestream, Mr. DeSantis emphasized his conservative credentials and highlighted his handling of the Covid-19 crisis in his state, which was praised by many Republicans for its anti-lockdown approach.