Unemployed by Elon Musk: His Lightning-Fast Scheme to Outsmart Twitter

A little over a year ago, Alphonzo Terrell received an email informing him that he had been laid off from Twitter.

Terrell, who had been in charge of the social and editorial teams on the platform for three years, was one of about 3,700 employees who were let go from the company on November 4, 2022. This happened just a week after Elon Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. On that same day, Terrell tweeted that it was "time to create something fresh," and immediately called his friend and former colleague, DeVaris Brown.

In a matter of hours, Terrell and Brown meticulously outlined their strategy to introduce a novel app that would capitalize on their expertise in fostering online communities while addressing the recurring issues that commonly afflict established social media platforms. Their vision was to create a platform that encompassed all the qualities that most social media platforms struggle to attain: a positive, secure, and all-encompassing environment. They christened it Spill, as a playful reference to the popular phrase "spill the tea," which connotes the act of sharing gossip or information.

Photo-illustration: CNN/Patrick Pleul/Pool/AFP/Getty Images/Adobe Stock/Twitter account of Elon Musk

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Terrell, who has operated at the convergence of technology, media, and culture for years, primarily in the background, is now embarking on a significant endeavor. He is placing a substantial wager on an idea previously explored by other social networks, yet one that has consistently failed to deliver: constructing a secure, fulfilling, and financially prosperous platform for Black, LGBTQ+, and other historically marginalized users.

According to him, these users have a significant influence on shaping online culture. However, they are more susceptible to experiencing harassment such as threats of violence or attacks on their identity, as well as having their ideas exploited by others. Spill welcomes all users, but it places particular emphasis on catering to marginalized communities online. This includes implementing new strategies for content moderation and creator compensation, all with the goal of enhancing the platform experience for everyone. Spill's community guidelines explicitly state this mission, aiming to establish an inclusive environment that prioritizes the experiences of those who are typically overlooked by other social media platforms, while still allowing room for passionate opinions and debates.

Spill leadership believes that such a platform is even more crucial now, following Musk's takeover of Twitter. Musk's leadership, along with policy updates, changes to content moderation practices, and controversial statements from Musk himself, have resulted in an increase in hate speech on the platform. This has caused many users to seek out alternative platforms. As the user base of the platform, now known as X, becomes fragmented, a similar fragmentation occurs within Black Twitter, which was a significant part of Twitter's growth and culture. Terrell aims to provide a home for these users on Spill.

Alphonzo "Phonz" Terrell is the CEO and co-founder of Spill, which he hopes will be a safer, more inclusive social platform for a diverse community of users.

Maya Umemoto Gorman/The Washington Post/Getty Images

But Spill is clear that its not trying to recreate Twitter, or any other existing platform.

According to April Reign, an equity advocate and creator of #OscarsSoWhite who now advises Spill, it is important to note that Spill does not aim to become the next version of Black Twitter. She believes that Black Twitter succeeded despite the limitations of the platform, whereas Spill is deliberately creating a solid foundation. However, creating a safe social network is challenging and even established platforms have experienced difficulties, especially with the increasing presence of malicious users. In addition to safety concerns, Spill also faces stiff competition from the numerous new platforms that have emerged since Elon Musk acquired Twitter.

You have to understand it on a visceral level

Terrell stated that the primary obstacle lies in maintaining our concentration and disregarding any distractions. He highlighted the abundance of activities happening simultaneously and the potential inclination to compare and assume that all these platforms are striving for the same goal. However, Terrell emphasized that their undertaking is essentially distinct from others.

During his tenure at Twitter, Terrell played a crucial role as the brand's spokesperson, leading a team responsible for managing the company's official accounts on the platform. Before joining Twitter, he gained valuable experience in digital and social marketing while working with renowned brands like HBO and Showtime.

Through these experiences, Terrell gained deep insights into the types of content and creators that ignited meaningful discussions on the platform. This knowledge proves advantageous as he endeavors to develop a groundbreaking social media application.

During their initial orientation at Twitter, Terrell formed a connection with co-founder Brown, an experienced developer who has worked at prominent tech companies such as Intel, Cisco, and Microsoft, and has also played a key role in establishing multiple tech startups. They bonded over their shared identity as people of color in their on-boarding group.

Following their initial discussion about creating a new application, Terrell and Brown have assembled an exceptional early team, which includes Kenya Parham, a skilled professional in brand strategy and community culture. Parham has taken on the role of Vice President of Community and Partnerships for the company Spills.

When asked about the reasons for the lack of a consistently safe and inclusive experience on other platforms for diverse users, Terrell attributed it to the fact that most of these platforms were not founded or created by individuals from marginalized groups or underserved communities.

Spill co-founders Alphonzo Terrell (left) and DeVaris Brown devised the concept for the app the night of Elon Musk's mass layoffs at Twitter.

Maya Iman

Group chat meets meme machine

Spill users have coined a term for themselves: "Spillionaires." Additionally, they have established community rituals such as a weekly collective movie viewing where participants agree to watch a film simultaneously and share their thoughts. This practice is now referred to as "live spilling."

The app combines elements of a group chat and a meme generator, allowing users to express themselves in real time using visuals and internet slang. Posts on the feed feature large, block text overlaid on images or GIFs, and some posts have multiple images that can be swiped through. At the top of the feed is the "Spillboard," which showcases popular posts and promotes creators on the app. The app's design is inspired by a teacup, replacing the traditional heart "like" button, and offers various color options, such as "green tea" and "hibiscus."

Terrell stated that, in addition to its design choices, Spill is focused on creating a more positive and optimistic culture compared to Twitter and other social media platforms. This approach has been attempted by other platforms as well, but implementing it effectively becomes challenging, particularly when they heavily rely on increasing user engagement to satisfy advertisers.

After 20 years of observing social media, we aim to utilize the lessons learned and apply them in order to unlock the potential of the next generation of social platforms. We strongly believe that these advancements can be more advantageous, engaging, and fulfilling for users. - Alphonzo Terrell, CEO of Spill.

According to Paul Barrett, deputy director at the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, creating a positive platform is challenging due to the general meanness of the internet and social media. This is not only a result of the engagement advertising business model, but also because of human behavior. Barrett believes that based on our experience with the internet, we know that people tend to misbehave with little provocation.

However, Spills users are already embracing the platform's culture, which some find to be different from Twitter. On Twitter, content that is inflammatory or polarizing tends to generate strong engagement and be promoted by the platform's algorithms.

Since its iOS beta launch in June, Spill has attracted over 200,000 users and an additional 200,000 users have joined the waitlist. In July, Spill reached the top spot on the Apple App Store's list of popular social apps. Although Spill's userbase is currently smaller compared to competitors like X (which boasts an approximate 250 million daily active users) and Metas Threads (which has 100 million monthly active users), the number of sign-ups has exceeded Spill's initial expectations. Originally, the company aimed to have 100,000 users by the end of 2023.

According to Terrell, 44% of Spill's users have already posted on the platform within 12 hours of joining. On average, users generate 14 posts (known as "spills") and comments per day.

Spill has amassed over $5 million in funding from investors such as the Kapor Center for Social Impact and Mac Venture Capital. Moreover, the company has entered into advertising agreements with prominent companies like Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime, and VH1. For now, Spill intends to predominantly rely on ads to generate revenue.

Technically sound and culturally savvy

Keeping social networks safe can be a challenging task, even with the utmost intentions.

Legacy social media platforms have consistently overlooked the potential manipulation or misuse of their products until issues arise. Despite the ongoing scrutiny and efforts to enhance existing social platforms, a 2022 Pew Research Center report revealed that women and people of color continue to experience a higher incidence of online harassment based on their gender or race. Additionally, members of the LGBTQ+ community also bear a disproportionate amount of online abuse.

Spill currently requires users to join a waitlist before accessing the app, allowing for some control over its user base. However, this waitlist will eventually be removed, which may result in the influx of potential bad actors. The purpose of the waitlist is to ensure that Spill's technical infrastructure can support its user base. Users are added to the app from the waitlist on a weekly basis or if they receive one of three invite codes from a friend upon joining the platform.

According to Terrell, Spill is prioritizing the integration of safety features into the app from its inception.

The company is undergoing a complete revamp of its content moderation practices as part of its commitment to enhancing user experience. In addition to its existing team of human moderators, Spill is actively working on creating a novel AI content moderation model. This model will be designed by individuals from historically marginalized communities, including Black, LGBTQ+, and others.

Alphonzo Terrell, co-founder of the social media app Spill, demonstrates how the platform works during an interview with CNN.

CNN

Terrell hopes that by involving the individuals who are most likely to experience online abuse, such as Black folks and queer folks, in the training process, the Spills model will make progress towards detecting harmful content that often slips through the content moderation systems of other social media companies. Terrell believes that by incorporating the input of these marginalized groups, the model will not only be technically advanced but also culturally sensitive, which is a new and important approach.

Spills community guidelines strictly prohibit hate promotion based on protected characteristics like race and gender, as well as violence, extremism, and endorsing self-harm. Additionally, the platform emphasizes the importance of criticism and holding individuals accountable for their actions in maintaining a healthy community. However, users are not allowed to engage in repeated abusive behavior targeting individuals or groups.

According to Spills' rules, individuals who break these guidelines, including posting dangerous content such as violent threats, will be removed from the platform and may face account bans. For less severe violations like spreading misleading rumors, users may have certain app features, such as the ability to "quote" and reshare posts, disabled. Spills further warns that repeat offenders risk permanent account removal.

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The company is also developing a system to more effectively monitor and reward users who generate viral trends or memes. This initiative aims to address the ongoing problem seen on other platforms where creators of popular content, particularly Black women, are often not credited for their ideas while larger and more popular creators profit from them. (A recent notable example of this issue was Georgia teenager Jalaiah Harmon, who created the Renegade dance, which went on to become one of the internet's most viral dances, but remained relatively unknown until tech reporter Taylor Lorenz featured her in the New York Times.)

According to Latoya Lee, an assistant professor at California State University Fullerton who has extensively researched Black Twitter, investors will also seek profitability from this innovative social platform. By focusing on users who create the most engaging content on the internet, the company has the potential to fulfill this expectation.

Lee stated that a significant portion of the content that shaped Twitter's identity came from Black Twitter. He believes that if Spill can address the deficiencies of not only Twitter but also other social networks, there is immense potential for the platform to expand and attract content creators.

Furthermore, Spill is actively differentiating itself from competitor platforms such as Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads that emerged alongside Musk's takeover of Twitter. Moreover, Spill remains dedicated to a specific audience, while larger platforms are attempting to cater to a broad range of users.