In a recent interview on the Out of Office podcast, Nikita Bier, the current Head of Product at X, discussed his background and how he mastered product growth by learning to “think like an adversary“. 

During the conversation, he shared details about his early activities as a teenager:

• Admission of Phishing and Hacking: Bier admitted to engaging in phishing and hacking during his teenage years.
• Early Exploits: He reportedly gained access to various systems and accounts, which he described as a formative experience that helped him understand the mechanics of digital engagement and security.
• Transition to Product Strategy: Bier framed these youthful activities as a foundation for his later career in building viral apps like tbh and Gas, explaining that understanding how to exploit systems helped him learn how to build them more effectively.
• Professional Context: This admission comes while he leads product development at X, where he is currently focused on combating spam and automation. He recently predicted that within 90 days, most digital communication channels would become “unusable” due to these issues if not properly addressed.