Twitter really wants you to know that it will be fine after former President Donald Trump was banned from the platform in January.
In its earnings report on Tuesday, the company provided a unique disclosure on user growth in the current quarter, saying it saw above-average growth during the month, despite “unusual circumstances”.
Although Twitter has not explicitly said what those “unusual circumstances” are, it’s not hard to tell. Twitter banned Trump permanently on January 8, after continuing to post messages of encouragement and defense of the US Chapter revolt on January 6. The company also banned thousands of accounts related to the Qanon movement at the same time.
Twitter shares have risen by up to 13% since Wednesday morning.
Twitter and Qanon bans on Twitter have raised fears that the company’s fate is tied to Trump and his followers and that the bans will affect future growth. But the company made additional efforts on Tuesday to show that Trump was not the only major user on the platform.
“We are a platform that is obviously much bigger than any topic or account,” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Tuesday.
He also pointed to the dozens of accounts that have millions of followers and that 80% of all users are outside the US.
“We have a global service. We also don’t just depend on news and politics, which drives Twitter,” Dorsey said.
As for Trump’s return one day, the company’s chief financial officer, Ned Segal, said Wednesday that it was not an option. Segal told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday that Trump will never be allowed to return to the site, even if he decides to run again.