Xitter in a Pickle Without Pickles
Cristina Criddle
To quote Stilgar in Dune, "there are signs":
X executive Nick Pickles is leaving the social media platform formerly known as Twitter after a decade at the company in which he fought multiple political battles and engaged with regulators worldwide.
He announced his departure as vice-president of global affairs on Thursday, following years of efforts to engage with authorities and policymakers.
Beyond having the best name in tech, Pickles was one of the few remaining senior folks at Xitter who pre-dated the takeover by Elon Musk. More importantly, he was widely reported to have become CEO Linda Yaccarino’s "right-hand man" – after she fired her last "right-hand man" in June. Right-hand men are an endangered species at Xitter these days, it seems. And this latest departure feels like a particularly problematic one given that it – FORGIVE ME CONDIMENT GODS – puts the company in a bit of a pickle.1
It occurs to me that when you're getting banned in Brazil, coming under attack by the EU, and other social media executives are being arrested and charged with content moderation crimes in Europe, it would be a particularly bad time to lose your head of policy. One specifically tasked with working with and talking to foreign governments around the world. Oh, and with the whole US election coming right up in two months… Of course, perhaps that all directly points to the reason why Pickles is leaving now after he somehow stayed through all the other bullshit.
Pickles, 40, said he had made the decision to leave X “several months ago” and was working with Yaccarino “through the transition”. He did not divulge his next move or name a successor and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oh yes, that totally checks out when you were elevated to lead all of global comms just two months ago. Xitter either has a narrative problem, a succession problem, or both. Speaking of, from a profile entitled "The quiet rise of Nick Pickles" that ran just over a month ago:
According to interviews with more than 10 current and former employees as well as people close to him, Pickles is now among the most influential lieutenants from Twitter’s old guard, leading policy work at X as well as picking up Benarroch’s communications responsibilities.
That rise has led some who have worked with Pickles to speculate that he could be X’s next chief executive.
Could be. Seems less likely now. From the same profile:
To some, Pickles represents a steady hand, unfazed by constant crisis management and expert at communicating policy nuances.
Earlier this year, Pickles prepared Yaccarino for a US Senate hearing on child safety. While Yaccarino, who had previously been criticised for poor public speaking, emerged largely unscathed from the session, rival technology bosses such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg faced attacks from politicians.
“Linda deeply trusts Nick’s judgment,” said one person close to him. “He can be a calming and moderating force . . . I think she knows that and believes it’s a priceless resource.”
Perhaps there was a price on it after all. Perhaps Pickles wants to go back to his roots as a concert photographer for Oasis (true story) given the band's comeback tour. Or perhaps he wants to have another go at actual politics.
Speaking of, and just reading between all the chaotic lines above, it seems like an opportune time to wonder if we shouldn't start up a lettuce livestream in anticipation of Yaccarino's eventual exit. There are signs.
“I am reassured that he’s still there. I know he cares and will advocate for the right things.”
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
1 To be fair, in the UK, what Americans call "pickles" are commonly referred to as "gherkins". "Pickle" here is thought of more as a specific chutney, a condiment.