Musk relies a lot on gut instinct at Twitter, not data: former executive

San Francisco: For many of its users, Twitter has become a curious case of unpredictable changes.

In what appears to be on a whim, the platform’s owner Elon Musk has its iconic blue bird replaced with ‘X’ this week.

Now the company’s fired product manager in a post on X said Musk ran the platform not by data but instinct, news agency AFP reported.

Also, he is surrounded by ‘zealous’ inner circle who offer ‘unwavering support’ to him, the former employee added.

Esther Crawford, who was earlier a sensation after her photo of sleeping at Twitter office went viral, said she disagreed with many of Musk’s decisions.

As for Twitter’s future she said ‘with enough money and time, something new and innovative may emerge’.

She said Musk came across as ‘oddly charming and genuinely funny’, adding that the challenge was his personality and demeanour that could change quickly from excited to angry.

Crawford, who joined Twitter in 2020 after the company had taken over her startup, said Twitter employees scared of delivering negative news to Musk at meetings.

‘At times it felt like the inner circle was too zealous and fanatical in their unwavering support of everything he said’ Crawford reportedly said in the post.

The former product manager said Musk would not rely on a lot of data or expertise but his gut instinct when it comes to ‘product and business decision’.

More than trusting employees working to solve problems, he seemingly relied on ‘random feedback and Twitter polls’.

‘His boldness, passion and storytelling is inspiring, but his lack of process and empathy is painful,’ Crawford said.

After Musk bought Twitter in October, the company’s advertising business collapsed, the report said.