Benedict Townsend

But Rich says there was a deep suspicion at Vine around the idea of making clips substantially longer.

But Rich says there was a deep suspicion at Vine around the idea of making clips substantially longer.

Of course, eventually they did extend the core length of Vines from six seconds to the incredibly obvious 140 seconds.

Of course, eventually they did extend the core length of Vines from six seconds to the incredibly obvious 140 seconds.

Sorry, can we just drill down on the fact that they changed the iconic six seconds to 140 seconds purely because a tweet has 140 characters. 2.3333 minutes. Perfect. Oh, nailed it. The most bizarre arbitrary decision in the history of decisions.

Sorry, can we just drill down on the fact that they changed the iconic six seconds to 140 seconds purely because a tweet has 140 characters. 2.3333 minutes. Perfect. Oh, nailed it. The most bizarre arbitrary decision in the history of decisions.

We spent five weeks studying exactly what a second is.

We spent five weeks studying exactly what a second is.

Another big change Rich's design team was in the process of launching was a recommended feed.

Another big change Rich's design team was in the process of launching was a recommended feed.

Despite the many complaints you'll see online about heavily curated feeds these days, the fact is that a well-seasoned algorithm will always deliver a better user experience than just a raw conveyor belt of content. Hell, TikTok achieved rapid cultural dominance almost entirely thanks to its revolutionary algorithm that can learn users' likes and interests in record time.

Despite the many complaints you'll see online about heavily curated feeds these days, the fact is that a well-seasoned algorithm will always deliver a better user experience than just a raw conveyor belt of content. Hell, TikTok achieved rapid cultural dominance almost entirely thanks to its revolutionary algorithm that can learn users' likes and interests in record time.

You have to give people what they want, but also remember that people don't really know what they want. not until you bring it to them. And Rich says there was actually a fairly positive response to the design changes they were making. But within the bigger machine that was Twitter, Team Vine felt like a side act.

You have to give people what they want, but also remember that people don't really know what they want. not until you bring it to them. And Rich says there was actually a fairly positive response to the design changes they were making. But within the bigger machine that was Twitter, Team Vine felt like a side act.

When was the first moment that you got a sense that things were maybe on a bit of a downswing?

When was the first moment that you got a sense that things were maybe on a bit of a downswing?

So how big was this Vine team at the time you joined on that top floor?

So how big was this Vine team at the time you joined on that top floor?

In the course of researching this story, one theme keeps surfacing. Various people told us about a tense, uneasy dynamic that existed between Twitter and Vine. It's an odd one because Twitter spotted Vine's star power early, investing big, betting hard on its success. The partnership had all the shine of a red carpet romance, dazzling from the outside.

In the course of researching this story, one theme keeps surfacing. Various people told us about a tense, uneasy dynamic that existed between Twitter and Vine. It's an odd one because Twitter spotted Vine's star power early, investing big, betting hard on its success. The partnership had all the shine of a red carpet romance, dazzling from the outside.