Benedict Townsend

But while Brendan and others were still discussing potential monetization strategies, the 1600 group were going for gold.

But while Brendan and others were still discussing potential monetization strategies, the 1600 group were going for gold.

It's exactly what Karen has been trying to avoid.

It's exactly what Karen has been trying to avoid.

I need you to take in the insanity of this scene. A group of barely 20-something internet goofballs.

I need you to take in the insanity of this scene. A group of barely 20-something internet goofballs.

Pranksters who we've seen tase each other, make fart jokes, strip down in shopping malls, jump into strangers' trolleys, scream profanities, eat spaghetti with a drill, perk their pecs to the beat of a pop song. We've done a lot of dumb things. This is the dumbest thing we've ever done.

Pranksters who we've seen tase each other, make fart jokes, strip down in shopping malls, jump into strangers' trolleys, scream profanities, eat spaghetti with a drill, perk their pecs to the beat of a pop song. We've done a lot of dumb things. This is the dumbest thing we've ever done.

Those guys were holding one of Twitter's biggest products for ransom, listing off their demands and threatening to pull the trigger if they aren't met. The 1600 group understood the power they held and the headaches they could cause. But in other ways, lacking any real industry knowledge, they seem to seriously misjudge the reality of the situation.

Those guys were holding one of Twitter's biggest products for ransom, listing off their demands and threatening to pull the trigger if they aren't met. The 1600 group understood the power they held and the headaches they could cause. But in other ways, lacking any real industry knowledge, they seem to seriously misjudge the reality of the situation.

They don't know about Karen's three-tier rescue plan. To her, they are not the long-term future of the platform. But she still doesn't want them to kick up a fuss and frighten off users. They are the VIVs, the very important finers, the bullet that can't be removed yet.

They don't know about Karen's three-tier rescue plan. To her, they are not the long-term future of the platform. But she still doesn't want them to kick up a fuss and frighten off users. They are the VIVs, the very important finers, the bullet that can't be removed yet.

She wants to keep them around just long enough that her cherished Ivy Leaguers and Sprouts can grow big enough to knock them off their platform. It was, if I can take some dramatic license, like a polite, slow-motion coup.

She wants to keep them around just long enough that her cherished Ivy Leaguers and Sprouts can grow big enough to knock them off their platform. It was, if I can take some dramatic license, like a polite, slow-motion coup.

One million dollars. I mean, in the real world, well, in my world anyway, that's a lot of money. But in the world of big tech, it's barely a drop in the ocean. What's a million bucks to Twitter? Was that all it was going to take? In a way, was this kind of a bargain? A one-off lump sum to stop all your creators complaining? To set your house in order?

One million dollars. I mean, in the real world, well, in my world anyway, that's a lot of money. But in the world of big tech, it's barely a drop in the ocean. What's a million bucks to Twitter? Was that all it was going to take? In a way, was this kind of a bargain? A one-off lump sum to stop all your creators complaining? To set your house in order?

To buy Karen the time she needs to shepherd Vine into a new era?

To buy Karen the time she needs to shepherd Vine into a new era?

Karen and the team flew out of LA flustered but triumphant with a deal that would be an easy sell to the big bosses. The end. I was just joking. Imagine if that was the end of the story. Just picture me closing the cover of a big dusty storybook. The end. Oh, no, but of course, it was all too good to be true. You see, there was just one tiny detail that hadn't quite been communicated properly.

Karen and the team flew out of LA flustered but triumphant with a deal that would be an easy sell to the big bosses. The end. I was just joking. Imagine if that was the end of the story. Just picture me closing the cover of a big dusty storybook. The end. Oh, no, but of course, it was all too good to be true. You see, there was just one tiny detail that hadn't quite been communicated properly.