Elon Musk to start Twitter layoffs within hours – and offices are closed
Twitter employees will find out whether they’re being laid off later today – one week after Elon Musk’s takeover.
The social network’s offices are temporarily closed, and workers will find out their fate by 4pm UK time.
Those who are losing their jobs will receive a message to their personal email address, while employees staying on will get an email to their work account.
An internal memo said: “In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce on Friday.”
“We recognise that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company’s success moving forward,” it said.
“If you are in an office or on your way to an office, please return home.”
Twitter said all badge access will be suspended “to help ensure the safety of each employee as well as Twitter systems and customer data.”
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A Twitter employee told NBC News it was the first communication staff had received since the 27 October acquisition.
“It’s total chaos, house melting down, everyone looking towards this email,” they said.
Staff have started sharing messages of support with each other on Twitter, using the workplace hashtag #OneTeam – with one tweeting: “Just lost access to my Twitter email and Slack. This is so unreal.”
It comes after the company moved to reassure staff last month that there were no plans for mass redundancies in the wake of a US press report that Musk wanted to make 75% of the 7,500-strong workforce redundant after his $44bn (£38.4bn) takeover.
However, The Washington Post report said job cuts were inevitable, claiming there was a plan to slash Twitter’s payroll by about $800m (£715m) by the end of next year.
According to Reuters news agency, Musk has ordered Twitter’s teams to find up to $1 billion (£895m) in annual infrastructure cost savings.
It’s been a week since Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters carrying a kitchen sink.
He has already fired the social media company’s top leadership, which he accused of misleading him over the number of spam accounts on the platform.
