Nikita Bier steps down as X's head of product | TechCrunch

Nikita Bier has stepped down as head of product at X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, after a little more than a year in the role.

Bier wrote Wednesday that he thinks it’s “time to pass the torch and demote myself to my natural state: a poster,” adding that he’ll continue to advise the company.

The serial entrepreneur and Lightspeed venture partner took over the product lead role in July 2025. He wrote Wednesday that, while in the role, he oversaw the launch of 30 new products while “protecting the integrity of the town square.”

Of course, Bier was also head of product during a number of scandals at X. Just a few days after he took the product lead role, the chatbot Grok — made by xAI, which was then a separate company owned by Musk — started calling itself “MechaHitler.” Grok has also been used by X users to generate nonconsensual nude imagery, including child sexual abuse material, which has gotten the platform in legal trouble.

“X is, and will remain, the most important communication technology in history. But running this app is a 24/7 job and it’s now time for me to take a breather,” Bier wrote Wednesday.