Twitter Product Chief Sidelined as User Engagement Slides

Twitter Inc has sidelined the product chief it recently poached from rival Google Inc, in the latest executive reshuffle at the online messaging service, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Former consumer product chief Daniel Graf will now oversee strategic initiatives such as geo-location mobile features, the person said on condition of anonymity because the move was not public.

Kevin Weil, who was head of revenue-generating products, will now take charge of all products at the company, the person said.

On Monday, Twitter reported a decline in user engagement in the third quarter and forecast disappointing revenue.

Twitter has historically kept two product teams working side-by-side. One focuses on revenue products such as commerce and video services, the other on consumer services, which included work on the main timeline feed.

Twitter has experienced several high-profile departures in recent months, including former Chief Operating Officer Ali Rowghani and head of Twitter news efforts Vivian Schiller. The company has been struggling with user growth and engagement, amid criticism of a steep learning curve for new users that may be discouraging its wider adoption.

© Thomson Reuters 2014