The list of Twitter executives opting to take some "time off" just got longer after Adam Messinger, the company's chief technology officer, cited the same reason for his departure.
Executive Exodus At Twitter
This latest turnover came roughly a month after the exit of Adam Bain, Twitter's former chief operating officer. Several other executives have already left this year in what some are increasingly calling as an exodus.
Unlike Bain, however, who provided a lengthy explanation for his move, Messinger offered a clipped message.
After 5 years I’ve decided to leave Twitter and take some time off. Grateful to @jack for the opportunity and to my team for shipping.
— Adam Messinger (@adam_messinger) December 20, 2016
Buried deep in the conversation that transpired thereafter was a reference to a future he has left "open for now." So far, however, there was no clear motivation given for his decision to leave.
Reason For Twitter Exit
Messinger has been appointed to his post in 2013, and he was in charge of engineering, product development, and design. The company is yet to issue a word about his replacement, but the Twitter watchers out there has a curious statement to ponder on.
"We're taking steps to streamline and flatten the organization by elevating our engineering, product and design functions, with each area now reporting directly to Jack [Dorsey]," a Twitter spokesperson told Reuters.
One should also remember that Twitter has already announced in October that it will be trimming its workforce by 9 percent in an attempt to maintain profitability. This could be translated to around 350 employees.
Twitter Struggles
While the company is still growing its user base, there is the perception that it is failing to monetize its micro-blogging platform. Its growth is also quite sluggish, prompting a number of initiatives seeking to attract new users and providing an interactive and more engaging platform to ensure that they stay and actively participate in daily Twitter conversations.
There was also the case of the potential Salesforce takeover. It failed after the cloud computing company withdrew from the negotiating table. This development has caused a decline in Twitter's market value afterward.
On the other hand, it is also important to note that Twitter has acquired Yes Inc., and this was purportedly carried out just to hire Keith Coleman as Twitter's next product chief. Coleman was the startup's founder and a former product manager at Google.
At this point, it is not yet clear whether Messinger's exit will have an impact on Twitter's prospects. There are observers who point out that it raises questions about the stability of the company's executive team.
