Google Makes Early Social Apps For Android, like Twitter, others

Google transformed socializing on Android by introducing apps like Twitter, marking a major advancement in mobile networking

The following startup anecdote may not be widely known beyond the tech companies themselves: Early versions of widely used Android applications, such as Twitter, were developed internally by Google.

This information was disclosed in a new podcast featuring Sara Beykpour, a former senior director of product management at Twitter and current co-founder of the AI news startup Particle. 

Beykpour speaks in a podcast by Lightspeed partner Michael Mignano regarding her recollection of her involvement in developing Twitter.

She describes how she began working for Twitter in 2009, when the company employed approximately 75 individuals, initially as a tools engineer. Beykpour subsequently transitioned to the mobile team at Twitter at a time when third-party applications were gaining traction on platforms such as BlackBerry and iOS.

Twitter even acquired one Tweetie by Loren Brichter, which served as the foundation for its first official iOS application.

Google developed the Twitter Android application, according to Beykpour. 

She stated on the podcast that Twitter for Android clients was “a demo app that Google had developed and given to us.” “At the time, they did this with every popular social app: Foursquare, Twitter, and others—in their infancy, they all appeared identical because Google developed them all.” 

Mignano interjected, “Explain this promptly; please pause. “Google wanted businesses to adopt Android so they could develop applications for you?” 

“Precisely,” Beykpour replied. 

Twitter subsequently proceeded to develop the Android application that Google had initially created. She described Beykpour as the organization’s second Android engineer. 

Google documented its development of the Android Twitter client in a blog post from 2010. However, the majority of press coverage at the time failed to attribute the application to Google’s efforts, rendering this an obscure fact of internet history.

Google elucidates in its blog post how it integrated initial Android best practices into the Twitter application. Beykpour confirmed to TechCrunch that Virgil Dobjanschi, the post’s author, was the primary software engineer. 

She recollects, “We were expected to approach him with any inquiries.” 

Additionally, Beykpour recounted additional anecdotes regarding the infancy of Twitter. After returning to Twitter from a position at Secret, she worked on Vine, Twitter’s video application, and was under duress to launch Vine on Android before Instagram’s video product launch. She said she accomplished this by launching Vine approximately two weeks before Instagram Video. 

According to Beykpour, the latter “significantly” impacted Vine’s numbers and was the cause of the popular app’s demise. 

“That day, the writing was on the wall,” she declared, even though it ultimately took years to close down Vine. 

Beykpour oversaw the closure of Vine’s product at Twitter; the application remains so popular that even Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter/X, continues teasing about reintroducing it. However, Beykpour believes Twitter chose Vine correctly, citing the app’s need for growth and high operating costs.

She acknowledges that there may be differing opinions, with some contending that Vine lacked sufficient resources or support from leadership. Nonetheless, the closure was ultimately determined by Vine’s financial impact on Twitter. 

Additionally, Beykpour provided a fascinating anecdote about his time working on Periscope. Immediately after Twitter acquired Secret, she commenced employment at the venture. She recollects having to rejoin Twitter formally under a sham identity to conceal the acquisition for some time. 

She also discussed the challenge of acquiring resources to develop products and features for elite users, such as journalists, on Twitter. 

“Twitter struggled tremendously to define its user base,” she explained, “due to its heavy reliance on traditional OKRs and metrics.”

However, Beykpour argues that quantifying “only a small percentage of people tweet” and “of the small percentage of people who tweet, a subset is responsible for the content everyone wants to see” presents a challenge. 

Her current position at Particle is utilizing her expertise in developing Twitter to inform the strategy for an AI news application to connect users with timely, relevant news. 

Beykpour states on the podcast, “Particle is a rethought approach to consuming the daily news.” The application seeks to offer a multi-perspective view of the news by providing access to high-quality journalism.

The startup is exploring alternatives to advertisements, subscriptions, and micropayments to monetize reporting. The precise methods by which Particle intends to accomplish this remain under deliberation.

Currently, the venture is in discussion with prospective publisher partners regarding their compensation for the work they produce.