A certain name has been outed by several figures in Indonesian startup scene as the face behind the notorious Twitter account –but is he really the one?
Image Credit: Gratisography.com
This might just be the biggest story of the year in Indonesian startup community — sorry, Go-Jek.
Months ago, e27 wrote a coverage piece on a mysterious figure appearing on Twitter: @startupwati.
Using the face and name of Indonesian pop singer Isyana Sarasvati, the account tweeted relatable jokes and uncensored opinion about Indonesian startup scene. Occasionally, Startupwati also posted rumours and leaks related to companies and figures in the community, which lead her to become one of the most sought-after characters for updates on controversial issues on the ground.
Naturally, people are curious about who is really behind Startupwati, leading to speculation that involves big names such as Kibar Chief Executive Yansen Kamto or blogger Enda Nasution as potential ‘candidates.’
But today, the search may have come to an end.
The whole ‘reveal’ started by posts on Facebook by Kamto himself, and another on Twitter by DailySocial CEO Rama Mamuaya, which later was retweeted by Startupwati.
Both posts included a photo of the five well-known figures in local startup scene —Kamto, Mamuaya, ex-journalist Wicak Hidayat, Nasution, and Aulia Masna standing in front of a wall with a graffiti that says ‘Think with your brain’ in the Indonesian language. All of them are pointing towards Masna, who was standing in the middle.
The caption in Mamuaya’s post stated ‘Unveiled & exposed!’ while the one in Kamto’s post was much longer, stating “BREAKING NEWS!!! Finally revealed! My fellow countrymen, this is STARTUPWATI 😛 Who else but Aulia Masna … Please share.”
Gasp.
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For those who are unfamiliar with Masna, he was an influential tech blogger in the country. He was the former editor of both e27 and DailySocial, and is currently managing a publication on advertising.
Masna himself was quick to deny the allegation in the comments section of Kamto’s Facebook post, by posting an emoji of an annoyed face, and later a comment that said “My Friend Request are overflowing now *kicks Yansen*.”
However, there is also a strong possibility that all this might just be a dinnertime joke that happened to go viral.
Why? First and foremost, let us have a look at what Startupwati responded with.
She quoted Mamuaya’s tweet by mentioning the Twitter accounts of all the guys in the photo, while also adding ‘Choose your favourite admin’.
As if she was indicating that everyone in the picture were indeed the admin behind Startupwati —that Startupwati is, in fact, not a single person.
Then she followed by posting an ‘audio recording’ of the ‘press conference behind Startupwati’s outing; upon closer inspection, the ‘audio recording’ was simply an image of the Play button and the recording’s duration.
She then proceeded to responding to netizens who pretended as if they have heard the ‘recording’.
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Now there are two ways to handle this situation. One, you can take it seriously and scream to yourself, “OMG! So it is true! Masna is indeed Startupwati!” or “I knew it! It can’t possibly be just one person!”
Two, you can just sit back, relax, and tell yourself, “I refuse to believe this. Startupwati will never, ever reveal her identity.”
Why? That’s the whole point of her existence.
Once her true identity is revealed then it will not be fun anymore — in fact, it can be annoying. Imagine knowing exactly who spread a rumour about yourself, or having to see someone openly criticising your company.
So sit back, enjoy the night, and don’t forget to thank the guys who have made an attempt to out Startupwati.
We almost had a heart attack.
Now go to bed, everyone.
The post Startupwati’s true identity revealed — but there is a catch appeared first on e27.