Go/No-Go Call on a Disappearing 24-Hour Stories Format for Twitter (X)

Should Twitter (now X) build Stories, the format of full-screen photo and video posts that disappear after 24 hours, made popular by Snapchat and Instagram? Give a recommendation and defend it: what user and business problem Stories would solve on Twitter, who would use it, how it fits or conflicts with the rest of the product, and what evidence would change your mind. ```hint Start from the job, not the format Ask what a disappearing post makes easier for the person sharing it on the apps where Stories took off. Then check whether Twitter's users have that need, and whether Stories is the best way to meet it on Twitter. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the main goal to get more people posting, to increase time spent, or to create new ad inventory? - Would Stories be visible only to followers, or public and discoverable like regular posts? - Would replies to a Story go to direct messages, as on other apps, or appear as public replies? - Are we deciding on a full launch, or on whether to fund a limited test? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The job Stories does on other platforms and whether Twitter's users share that need. - Fit with a public, text-first, real-time conversation product, including cannibalization of regular posts and competition from apps where people already post Stories. - The target users and the specific behavior change Stories must produce to be worth building. - A clear recommendation with a test plan, success metrics, guardrails and kill criteria. - Costs and risks such as space at the top of the app, moderation of content that disappears, and engineering focus. ### Follow-up Questions - A test shows many Stories from people who already post often but almost none from people who never post. What do you conclude? - If you decide against Stories, what would you build instead to meet the same need? - Replies to Stories usually land in private messages. How does that interact with harassment and spam on Twitter?