Former Twitter employees create SPILL, a Twitter rival

When Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022, no one was prepared for what was coming. The initial thing he did after taking up his new role was to fire some of the company's top executives, including former CEO Parag Aggarwal. He then laid off most of the workforce in all departments, and many employees quit on his account. Twitter is no longer the place it once was and has more than 2,300 employees working on the microblogging site. Before the Musk acquisition, Twitter was one big family of more than 7,000 people.

And now, the microblogging platform will soon find itself face to face with a new competitor in the market, one created by his former employees. Yes, you read it right. In December of last year, reports surfaced that ex-Twitter employees Alphonzo Phonz Terrell and DeVaris Brown are working at their own company, SPILL. And now, they have revealed the first look of it.

Former Twitter employees create SPILL

The SPILL developers have released a short preview video of the platform. The 17-second teaser video with a vibrant background and an intriguing background score. In the centre is a phone running the next site, which is a platform for people to express their opinion, share images, etc.

"Here's your first sneak peek at SPILL - early access begins in a few weeks. Hit the (thread) for some major updates, including funding, hiring, and grab your handle if you haven't yet," the tweet introducing the app reads.

SPILL Funding Details

In the same Twitter thread, the financing details of the upcoming app are mentioned. SPILL has raised more than $2.75 million in pre-seed funding.

"We've raised $2.75M in pre-seed funding co-led by @MaCVentureCap and @KaporCenter @TheRealFreada @mkapor, with additional funding by #SunsetVentures. We are proud to be backed by mission-driven funds that are 100% aligned with our vision," the company says.

SPILL is Hiring

SPILL is hiring for a few roles. "Second, this means WE ARE HIRING: We currently have 4 open FTE roles - 2 Backend SWEs, 1 ML Eng, and a Head of Community & Partnerships role - apply and follow us on LinkedIn for more roles as they become available," another tweet said.

The team behind SPILL appreciated the patience and feedback from users and made sure they were in for something special.

They say, "Finally, we just want to say that we continue to appreciate the patience and feedback as we prepare for early access. We know y'all want this yesterday so we're moving as fast AND as thoughtfully as we can to ensure we give you something special."