Elon Musk’s social media platform X has appointed Nikita Bier, a tech entrepreneur known for creating youth-focused viral apps, as its new head of product, BBC reports.
The move comes as X, formerly known as Twitter, seeks to attract younger audiences and regain momentum in an increasingly competitive social media landscape.
Bier, who has previously developed apps such as tbh and Gas — both of which became popular among teens — announced his new role on the platform, stating, “I’ve officially posted my way to the top.” His appointment follows a series of challenges for X, including advertiser pullbacks, user attrition, and growing competition from rivals such as Threads and Bluesky.
Experts say Bier’s track record in designing features that resonate with Gen Z users could help reinvigorate the platform. Drew Benvie, CEO of the social media consultancy Battenhall, said Bier’s experience with interactive tools like anonymous polling offers “some X-factor” that may help re-engage younger audiences. Social media analyst Matt Navarra added that introducing more interactive and positive content formats could be key, but cautioned that product innovation alone won’t guarantee user growth or retention.
Bier’s background includes launching tbh — an app focused on anonymous but positive social polling for high school students, which Meta acquired in 2017. His more recent app, Gas, gained popularity on app stores before being bought by Discord in 2023. Known for viral growth strategies, Bier has also been called the “king of virality” by venture capital firm Lightspeed, which brought him on as an advisor last year.
However, some of his earlier methods have faced scrutiny. In 2018, Buzzfeed reported that tbh’s user growth tactics included identifying and targeting high school students on Instagram — a strategy it described as psychologically engineered.
In his announcement, Bier called X “the most important social network in the world” and said his focus will be on enhancing the user experience — including through the use of the platform’s generative AI chatbot, Grok, to deliver more personalized timelines.
X has seen fluctuating user engagement since Musk’s $44 billion acquisition in October 2022. Musk claimed in March 2025 that the platform had over 600 million monthly active users. However, according to a Pew Research Center report from late 2024, the proportion of US adults using X has declined to 17%, down from 23% in 2022.
Bier’s hiring comes amid a broader battle for top tech talent, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Competitors like Meta have recently intensified recruitment efforts, forming specialized AI teams and reportedly offering high-value compensation packages to attract leaders from companies like OpenAI.
