Interview with @NextBigTwat – A Twitter Account That Exposes the Underbelly of the Indian Startup Ecosystem

India's startup ecosystem is growing very fast. We are seeing a breed of entrepreneurs who are innovative and go-getters. But at the same time, there are people who just want to ride this wave without adding any value; those who need to be exposed. And @NextBigTwat has taken up the challenge to uncover them and their lies.

Next Big Twat is an anonymous Twitter account which aims to question those who, allegedly, don't add any value to the ecosystem but keep preaching from the high hills.

In this interview, @NextBigTwat shares the objective behind their (yes, it's a group and not just a single person) existence and how they go about trolling the "movers and shakers".

What inspired you to start an anonymous account trolling people in the Startup sector?

Three reasons –

• Indians take offense very soon – thus, we offend.
• Everyone in the startup space thinks they are Mark Zuckerberg – we think they should rethink it, and replace the Z with an F.
• There is too much noise in the startup “ecosystem” – we need to ensure that the signals come out right.

And of course, this:

Why the name “NextBigTwat”?

@Nextbigwhat is a famous blog – the largest. We just wanted to ride on their coat-tails.

With so many social media platforms out there, why did you choose Twitter?

Twitter is the easiest platform to grow in. 160 characters also ensures that we don't need to think too much for a post, while a blog would have been too much work. And we do run startups as well.

How do you get all the inside info about people and the industry?

All of us are very clued in to the industry. Between us, we have entrepreneurs, bloggers, Angel investors and jokers. Most importantly, we have been here for some time.

Is public shaming of entrepreneurs and investors healthy for the entire sector?

This is not one answer that can be presented in black and white. Most of the “movers and shakers” of the ecosystem are fartbags who have never done crapshit themselves. Those are the ones we expose.

To prove what I'm saying, you'll see that we have massive respect for InMobi and Flipkart – we don't shame them because we can't.

What has been the reaction of those you troll?

We usually hold out a mirror to the entrepreneurs. You can only counter a lie with a truth – that’s what we try to do. Most of them try to bullshit their way out or ignore us entirely – both typically guilty reactions.

Do you have your own personal account on Twitter as well? If yes, how do you manage to strike a balance between both of them?

Yes. NBT tweets are through a US IP in an incognito mode of Chrome. It's fun.

How does it feel to remain anonymous and take people’s case?

Well, there are times when we take our case too.

What are the precautions you take to safeguard your anonymity?

It's easier to get lost in a crowd. And there are 4 of us. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

What are your future plans for NextBigTwat? What can we expect from you in the coming days?

We are hiring!