'Bot issue neither new nor unknown': Former head of Twitter India

BENGALURU: Ever since SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced a  USD 44 billion deal to buy social networking site Twitter, there have been many twists and turns.

At first, he said the Twitter deal is on hold and spoke about its spam and fake accounts and then about bots, and recently, he has accused the social networking site of security lapses.

Manish Maheshwari, Technology entrepreneur and former head of Twitter India, looks at the whole Musk-Twitter saga as a commercial fight.

“This is not a fight related to free speech or management philosophy. The core of the fight is the contract price. The contract was done at a price of USD 54.2 a share, while the markets corrected subsequently and the price per share dropped to USD 40,” he said.

Musk also spoke a lot about bots. Maheshwari said the issue of bots is neither new nor unknown.

“Technology provides tools that can be used to help make the world a better place or it can also be used to hurt people. And tech evolves rapidly while the safeguards and policy frameworks take time to catch up,” he said.

With social media playing a significant role in the growth of regional content, the future is now more on regional content and creators.

The former head of Twitter India said he is quite bullish on regional content.

“The next 100 million users are not going to be English speakers. In fact, many of them may not speak even a word of English. The growth will come from reaching and engaging these users with content that is not only in their native language but also understands their tastes and sensibilities,” he added.

Maheshwari, in May this year stepped down from start-up Invact Metaversity as its CEO, said he would take a break for a few months and then pursue new opportunities.

When asked about it, he said apart from becoming fit, he also got time to delve deeper into emerging technologies and the business landscape.

BENGALURU: Ever since SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced a  USD 44 billion deal to buy social networking site Twitter, there have been many twists and turns. At first, he said the Twitter deal is on hold and spoke about its spam and fake accounts and then about bots, and recently, he has accused the social networking site of security lapses. Manish Maheshwari, Technology entrepreneur and former head of Twitter India, looks at the whole Musk-Twitter saga as a commercial fight. “This is not a fight related to free speech or management philosophy. The core of the fight is the contract price. The contract was done at a price of USD 54.2 a share, while the markets corrected subsequently and the price per share dropped to USD 40,” he said. Musk also spoke a lot about bots. Maheshwari said the issue of bots is neither new nor unknown. “Technology provides tools that can be used to help make the world a better place or it can also be used to hurt people. And tech evolves rapidly while the safeguards and policy frameworks take time to catch up,” he said. With social media playing a significant role in the growth of regional content, the future is now more on regional content and creators. The former head of Twitter India said he is quite bullish on regional content. “The next 100 million users are not going to be English speakers. In fact, many of them may not speak even a word of English. The growth will come from reaching and engaging these users with content that is not only in their native language but also understands their tastes and sensibilities,” he added. Maheshwari, in May this year stepped down from start-up Invact Metaversity as its CEO, said he would take a break for a few months and then pursue new opportunities. When asked about it, he said apart from becoming fit, he also got time to delve deeper into emerging technologies and the business landscape.