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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Graeme Virtue and Nicole Vassell

TV tonight: the inside story of Twitter, told by the people who made it

The stupidest thing ever? … Twitter: Breaking the Bird on BBC Two.
The stupidest thing ever? … Twitter: Breaking the Bird on BBC Two. Photograph: Biz Stone/BBC/Candle True Stories

Twitter: Breaking the Bird

9pm, BBC Two
“This is the stupidest thing ever.” That was a common reaction to Twitter in 2006, according to the San Francisco startup’s “ragtag” founders who created it in just under two weeks. They give their input on the social media platform’s legacy in this documentary (Jack Dorsey, who stepped down as CEO and sold it to Elon Musk in 2022 is noticeably absent), along with former employees, journalists and activists. While Musk’s renamed X may be a hellscape today – and it has been hugely damaging to society – there is plenty of good to be found in its history. All the highs, lows and grey areas are laid out here, including the revelation that Oprah didn’t actually type her first tweet. Hollie Richardson

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