Twitter has closed its offices until Monday, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg.
Elon Musk has issued an ultimatum to employees of Twitter Inc. have to commit to the company’s new “difficult” work environment or leave. More workers refused to log in than he expected, potentially putting Twitter’s operations at risk, according to people familiar with the matter.
So many employees have decided to leave their jobs that it creates a cloud of confusion about whether people should still have access to company assets. Twitter has closed its offices until Monday, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg. “Please continue to adhere to company policy by refraining from discussing confidential information on social media, with the press, or anywhere else,” the memo added.
In the final hours before the deadline, Mr. Musk tried to convince people to stay. According to people familiar with the matter, key employees were brought into meetings as the Thursday night deadline approached to hear pitches about the future of social media. Mr Musk, who had previously said he was strictly against working remotely, also sent a follow-up email on Thursday to soften his tone.
“All it takes to get approved is for your manager to take responsibility for making sure you’re making an outstanding contribution,” he writes, adding that employees should have regular meetings. meet face-to-face with their colleagues no less than once per month.
It’s not enough. Twitter’s internal communication channels were flooded with employees giving a welcome emoji, which has become a symbol of leaving the company. The former employees also tweeted public greetings along with their internal Slack messages.
Some leaving employees speculated that with so many leaving, coupled with their knowledge of how the product works, social media could have a hard time troubleshooting or system updates during normal operation, according to people familiar with the matter.
The future of Twitter is also complicated by the possible national security considerations of the US government over Mr. Musk’s deal, people familiar with the matter said earlier.
Mr Musk on Wednesday asked full-time employees to state whether they were willing to continue working at the company – a commitment that would include “working long hours and intense work”. Employees have until 5 p.m. Eastern time Thursday to fill out Google forms.
The form includes only one possible answer: “Yes.” Anyone who does not accept the form by the deadline is notified that they will be fired from the company with three months severance.
The ultimatum from Mr Musk comes less than two weeks after he laid off 50% of Twitter’s workforce, or about 3,700 employees. Many Twitter employees consulted with attorneys this week to determine what to do. The form barely includes details about severance packages, and it’s unclear whether employees receive the legal protections that allow them to continue awarding stock awards or maintain insurance coverage.
One of the sources said Mr Musk had brought back departed leaders, either as part of his own firing process or through his resignation, to convince others to stay. One leader returning is Ella Irwin, who will manage staff on Trust and Safety, according to a person familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified when discussing the non-public changes. .
Musk then sent a follow-up email about remote work, according to a screenshot seen by Bloomberg. “Any manager who falsely claims that someone reporting to them is doing excellent work or that a certain role is needed, whether remote or not, will be fired from the company.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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