Twitter Algorithm is now public. Here’s what I learned.

Twitter Algorithm is now public. Here’s what I learned.

The Twitter algorithm is a complex system that consists of 48 million parameters and has evolved over two decades of engineering. It serves 150 billion tweets to devices and runs a request 5 billion times a day, completing in under 1.5 seconds on average. The algorithm is made up of three main stages: candidate sourcing, ranking, and filtering. It aims to answer important questions about the Twitter network, such as the probability of user interaction in the future.

The For You timeline on Twitter consists of 50% In-Network Tweets and 50% Out-of-Network Tweets on average. However, this may vary from user to user. Twitter also uses a model called Real Graph to predict user engagement with a particular tweet based on their interactions with the author. They analyze the engagement of the people you follow and look for similar tweets to recommend.

In addition to Real Graph, Twitter utilizes Embedding Spaces, which generate numerical representations of users' interests and tweet content to find similarities between users, tweets, and user-tweet pairs. This helps in personalizing the user experience and delivering relevant content.

Twitter also employs a tool called SimClusters, which identifies communities of influential users based on custom algorithms. Tweets can be embedded into these communities based on their popularity within the community. This helps in amplifying the reach of tweets and increasing engagement.

When it comes to ranking tweets, Twitter uses a neural network with 48 million parts to make predictions about how people will interact with tweets. Author diversity is taken into account to ensure that the feed doesn't have too many consecutive tweets from a single author. Feedback-based fatigue is also considered, where tweets with negative feedback are given lower scores to avoid showing them to the user again.

There are several factors that can boost tweet recommendations on Twitter. Replying to tweets increases the chances of recommendations by 1x, while including images or videos in tweets can boost recommendations by 2x. Twitter Blue, a paid subscription service, can further enhance recommendations by 2–4x. Being part of a trusted circle or having a group of users who frequently engage with your tweets can boost recommendations by 3x. Retweets from other users and likes on tweets can significantly boost recommendations by 20x and 30x, respectively.

Now, let's shift our focus to fundraising for startups and explore some key insights.

When it comes to raising money for your startup, the most important thing to remember is to focus on growth, not just fundraising. Fundraising is not the defining quality of a startup; rapid growth is. Fundraising can help accelerate growth, but it should not be the sole focus. It is crucial to get the money you need and get back to work, focusing on making things and talking to users.

Timing is essential when it comes to fundraising. It is essential to raise money when you actually need it and when investors are interested. Trying to raise money before you can convince investors not only wastes your time but also damages your reputation with potential investors. When you do decide to raise money, give it your full attention, get it done quickly, and then shift your focus back to the company.

It's important to be nice to everyone, even if they reject you. Rejection is a common part of the fundraising process, and how you handle it can impact future opportunities. Investors who reject you initially may be open to investing in later stages if you prove your success. Treat rejection as the beginning of a potential relationship and maintain a positive attitude.

Here are three actionable pieces of advice for fundraising:

1. Focus on growth: Prioritize the growth of your startup over fundraising. Fundraising should be a means to an end, not the end itself. Concentrate on making things and talking to users to drive rapid growth.

2. Be strategic in fundraising: Choose the right timing to raise money and focus your attention on it when needed. Talk to investors in parallel rather than serially to save time and create a sense of urgency. Prioritize investors based on their expected value and accept offers greedily.

3. Build relationships: Be nice to everyone, even if they reject you. Rejection doesn't mean the end of potential opportunities. Treat rejection as a chance to build relationships and maintain a positive attitude. You never know when an investor who initially rejected you may become interested in future stages.

In conclusion, understanding the Twitter algorithm and its various components can help users navigate the platform better and increase engagement. When it comes to fundraising for startups, the key is to focus on growth, be strategic in timing and approach, and build relationships with investors. Fundraising should be a means to achieve success, not the sole focus. By following these principles, startups can navigate the fundraising landscape more effectively and focus on what truly matters – making things and talking to users.