What's Elon been up to at Twitter?
What's Elon been up to at Twitter?
Plus, Matter finally launches, Netflix now comes with ads, and more.
The relaunch of this newsletter came with a boatload of work and headaches on the management side of things, which is why this is the first issue in a long while. I apologize for the unintentional hiatus, although I will say it’s been quite fun watching so many things crop up between now and the last time I wrote to you guys.
The misadventures of Elon’s first week at Twitter
The biggest story out of that period is obviously Elon Musk who completed his acquisition of Twitter just over a week ago. I wrote an article going over some of the early changes he made to the platform and a bit of what he was doing behind the scenes. Since then, as you can imagine, all hell has broken loose and we’ve learned a lot about where Musk wants to take the platform next.
I’m gonna try to be as brief as I can when hitting these subjects, because this conversation is so vast and so deep that you could have an entire newsletter strictly focused on covering Elon Musk and all his shenanigans. That’s obviously not what I’m working with here, so in as short paragraphs as I can write, here’s what Elon’s been up to at Twitter.
The layoffs have commenced
On Friday, Twitter sent emails to the members of its team that it’s laying off. We knew this was coming: not only were massive layoffs reported numerous times, but there was also an unsigned letter sent to all Twitter employees to warn them that emails were on their way with the fate of each member’s job status attached. The number that were affected by the layoffs sits somewhere around 3,700, which is about half of the company’s entire 7,500-member workforce. (Employees have deemed this “the snap” in Slack channels, as reported by Casey Newton.)
Speaking of warnings, these layoffs have also lead to a class action lawsuit by some of those who were fired because Musk didn’t provide 60-day advanced notice as required by the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and California WARN Act. It’s likely legal actions like this will continue taking place as outcry from now-former Twitter employees is everything but positive.
Because of the magnitude of these layoffs, it’s leaving a lot of internal teams at Twitter basically gutted. The Trust and Safety group, the team responsible for handling a lot of the negative aspects of the platform, was particularly hit hard with a 15 percent size reduction. However, its frontline moderation staff was hit the least, so content moderation has remained steady and proactive. Twitter’s head of Safety and Integrity Yoel Roth has more details in a thread which I recommend checking out.
The new Twitter Blue is (almost) here
One of Musk’s first big directives at Twitter seems to be revamping Twitter Blue. Instead of focusing on features like an unsend option for tweets and ad-free articles (which are no longer available), Musk believes subscribers to Blue should be given a verification badge to eliminate the eliteness of the badge’s current public perception. Musk also wants less ads, priority ranking, and long-form video uploads for Blue subscribers.
Yesterday, an update to the iOS Twitter app advertised that the new Twitter Blue had arrived, but none of the features were available. The update is part of the rollout of Blue, but Twitter still has some work to do before everyone has a blue checkmark next to their name. Of course, they’ll need to get that work done relatively soon if they want to meet Musk’s demands of shipping Twitter Blue by November 7th.
Paid videos could become a thing
A report from The Washington Post suggests that Twitter is developing a way to charge users to watch videos on its platform. Accounts that post paid videos would be able to set a paywall between $1-$10, and it looks like the feature could launch in one to two weeks. Obviously, videos behind a paywall can be extremely difficult to work out because of things like copyright content and pornography, with the latter being particularly tricky since advertisers and payment providers have a history of skittish attitudes toward porn sites.
Of course, Twitter isn’t a porn site, and it likely won’t directly target platforms like OnlyFans to compete with. Instead, it’ll be advertised as a new way for creators to earn a living on Twitter. Musk will no doubt take a cut from the profits collected, although it’s unclear what that percentage could wind up being.
No more notepad screenshots
In a tweet yesterday, Musk stated that Twitter would soon add the ability to attach long-form text to tweets to eliminate the need to type more than 240 characters in a note on your phone and post a screenshot. I have a feeling this is a pet peeve for Musk, but at least users will also be able to get paid for content like this in the future.
Vine is coming back?
Musk definitely wants a chunk of that TikTok crowd, so he’s instructed Twitter employees to resurrect Vine and ship it by the end of the year, according to Axios. Engineers have been told to look at Vine’s old code base and begin working to tidy it up. This will be a bigger challenge than it seems, however, since the code hasn’t been touched since the platform was shut down in 2016. Still, this would be one of the biggest shifts in Twitter’s priorities under the Musk administration (at least so far) if it winds up being true.
Who’s to say how advertisers feel about all this
There’s been a lot of back-and-forth regarding advertisers on Twitter. Some reports say that they’re furious, others think a handful are displeased while a majority don’t really care. At least according to Musk, advertisers have dropped like flies from the platform. This is a much larger story that’ll unfold over time, so I plan on covering this more extensively in the future.
That’s a brief TL;DR on how Twitter’s been doing under Musk. I’m sure as soon as you read this sentence, there will be a dozen more headlines on what’s going on. I’ll be covering the most important news on Matridox as it breaks.
Matter is finally here, but it’ll be a while before you get it
Matter, the new industry-wide smart home ecosystem standard, has finally been launched. Well, technically, it was released last month. But this week, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) hosted a launch event for the technology and detailed some of the devices that will support it.
Which devices are getting Matter support: Right now, there’s over 190 devices that are either already certified or close to it, from lights to sensors to locks to window shades. Over time, devices like cameras, robot vacuums, door controllers, and environmental quality sensors (among other things) will also get support. And these aren’t coming from a select few manufacturers - almost every major smart home device company has a product or two that’ll get Matter support.
When will Matter roll out: That’s a bit of a tricky question. As of now, there are some devices that advertise support Matter in existence, but there’s virtually nothing you can buy. It really comes down to a waiting game, one where you have to wait for the manufacturer of your smart home hubs and devices to update them with Matter support. Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, and others have all promised to update at least some of their smart home devices, so expect more news on that once we get into 2023.
Why this is so important: Matter’s entire goal is to simplify your smart home and help every device you own work with one another. You won’t have to worry about whether a particular lightbulb works with Apple HomeKit or a video doorbell has Amazon Alexa support. Everything will work across every platform or hub you use to control them (a.k.a. the dream of every person who’s ever tried setting up a smart home system). This makes the wait for full Matter support worth it. You probably won’t notice the tech in your home until well into 2023, but when it does arrive, it’s gonna be sweet (y’know, assuming everything goes well).
Recommended read: “Matter is here, but it’s still a long road to the simple smart home” (Jennifer Pattinson Tuohy / The Verge)
Netflix, now with ads
If you’re struggling to justify keeping your Netflix subscription, you might want to check out its latest tier. The company has introduced a new Netflix Basic with Ads subscription which costs $6.99 per month and gets you access to most of Netflix’s library of movies and TV shows, just with unskippable ads before and during your programming.
How Netflix Basic is different than other tiers: Netflix Basic with Ads is quintessentially basic. Due to certain licensing restrictions, Netflix will block you from watching certain shows and movies on its Basic plan (at least for now), and the ones you can watch can only be streamed in 720p. There’s no offline playback option, and not every device will support the new tier, including the Apple TV. Netflix says it’s partnering with Microsoft for the business side of the ads situation, and Nielsen will publish data on how effective advertisements are on the platform.
Why it’s important to Netflix: Two consecutive quarters have gone by this year where Netflix has lost subscribers, with the end of the second quarter seeing around 1.28 million users leave the service. Things began improving in Q3, but certainly not at a rate that Netflix wants. Introducing a cheaper plan supported by ads could be a good way to grow its subscriber base and extend its reach to those who couldn’t previously afford Netflix. It’s just one way Netflix hopes to expand its customer base, with the elimination of password sharing being another.
Where it’s launching: The new Basic plan has launched in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Mexico.
More news
No more “Hey Siri?”
Mark Gurman shared in his Power On newsletter this weekend that Apple is working to eliminate the “Hey” needed to trigger Siri with your voice, so you can just say “Siri” instead of “Hey Siri.” It’s my own personal opinion that this is dumb - really dumb - given how advanced the AI has to be to recognize I’m not just saying “Siri” and actually want to talk to it. If the feature does ship, Gurman believes it won’t be until later next year or 2024 that you’ll actually get it. (Sami Fathi / MacRumors)
Amazon Music gives every Prime member free access to its music catalog
Amazon has introduced a new free version of Amazon Music that gives each Prime member access to the service’s entire catalog of over 100 million songs. The only catch is you’re forced to play music on shuffle, while some playlists curated by Amazon will let you play songs on-demand. It’s a similar model to Spotify’s free tier, only Amazon requires you to have Prime in order to access it. (Matridox)
Arlo’s new Pro 5S 2K security camera works with its Home Security System
Arlo unveiled its new Pro 5S 2K security camera this week that’s a lot like the Pro 4, but what makes it special is its compatibility with the company’s Home Security System, which was also unveiled. The system serves as a hub for quick access to emergency services if you need them, and it can help detect things like water leaks, lighting changes, smoke, and more using special sensors all around your home. The Pro 5S connects to the system for enhanced privacy over the video it records, as well as longer battery life since it can use the lowest power band to operate. (Matridox)
Substack now supports chatting with your readers
Substack continues rolling out feature after feature to flesh out its platform and make it a one-stop-shop for creators. This time, it’s Substack Chat, which lets you have discussions with your readers and grow your community. Substack says it’s “like having your own private social network where you make the rules.” I’ll be using the feature for Legendary Scoop and I invite all of you to join me (more details to come).
PayPal and Venmo are getting Tap to Pay on iPhone
Apple introduced its new Tap to Pay feature in February which lets merchants use their iPhones as contactless payment terminals. Now, those who want to accept payments using Tap to Pay through PayPal or Venmo will have that ability, as both apps will soon get the feature. There’s no exact timeframe for when the feature will be added, but I imagine we’ll know more in the coming weeks. (Juli Clover / MacRumors)
Tumblr lessens its restrictions on nudity
Tumblr has updated its community guidelines to be less harsh on nudity, citing “content depicting the human form (yes, that includes the naked human form). So, even if your creations contain nudity, mature subject matter, or sexual themes, you can now share them on Tumblr using the appropriate Community Label.” However, sexually explicit content is still banned from the platform, a change first introduced in 2018. Tumblr offers clarification on the rule change in a Help page, and if' there’s one takeaway from it all, it’s that Tumblr wants to appease users who are angry at the nudity ban while also maintaining good relationships with this-party companies and services (e.g. payment providers). (Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica)