‘If trust breaks, your business breaks’: How Alphonzo Terrell is building Spill to be a different kind of social platform
Alphonzo Terrell was the global head of social and editorial at Twitter, until Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition that led to roughly 80% of the company’s workforce being laid off —Terrell included. But he wasted no time in creating his own social media platform, Spill , with a very clear perspective. After years of seeing firsthand how harmful and exploitative social media can be to Black and…
Alphonzo Terrell, previously the head of social and editorial at Twitter, has launched a new social media platform called Spill. After witnessing the negative impact of social media on Black and queer communities, Terrell aimed to create a space that serves, safeguards, and provides equity to these groups. Spill features elements like Spades, a popular card game in the Black community, and subcommunities like Foodie Spill, Art Spill, and Book Spill, catering to diverse interests.
The platform incorporates an AI moderation tool with a 90% success rate, ensuring a safe space for users. In a community investment round last year, Spill allowed users to become shareholders, contributing to its rapid growth. Despite reaching positive cash flow and partnerships with Netflix, Paramount+, and Gilead, Terrell pushes back against the label of a standalone app for Black Twitter.
He emphasizes, "We didn't own Black Twitter. We didn't actually have agency. And it was sort of this sadomasochistic relationship of like, here's this platform that's constantly harming you, but yet I have to keep using it because it's the only way I can have a microphone."
Terrell's vision for Spill is to become an operating system for culture-forward fandom. He explains, "When you find a place where you can be around other people that love the same thing that you love, it's an immediate belonging. And many of us are not honest about how weird we are. These platforms and tools became an incredible way to find people that were into superspecific niche things."
The platform's intelligence engine provides brands with valuable insights, helping them make informed decisions that benefit the communities they engage with. Terrell stresses the importance of maintaining trust, stating, "Anything that would hurt or harm the communities we are built to serve is antithetical to our business model. If trust breaks, your business breaks." Join Terrell at Fast Company's 12th annual Innovation Festival in New York City to discuss the importance of putting communities at the core of businesses.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
