Twitter’s Jack Dorsey under pressure to entice advertisers after robot revelation
Pressure is mounting on the boss of Twitter after research indicated the number of automated accounts on the platform was nearly double company estimates, according to reports.
Analysis released this week by the University of Southern California estimated 15 per cent the entire population of Twitter accounts were managed by robots, much higher than the 8.5 per cent the social media firm had calculated.
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The news, reported by the Sunday Times, came as a fresh blow to Twitter in its attempt to lure more advertisers to the platform. It piles pressure onto Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, who returned to the helm in 2015 with a mandate to turn round the fortunes of the firm.
The social media giant floated in November 2013 with shares trading at more than $40 each, a figure that rose to around $60 in the weeks that followed.
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The firm is yet to make a profit and shares have steadily fallen since the spring of 2015, have halved since October of the same year and are currently trading at $15.08 at the close of trading on Friday.