Hundreds of Twitter employees have left two days after Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to adapt to the company’s new “hardcore” work environment or leave. According to sources acquainted with the situation, this could jeopardize Twitter’s operations.
A brief about Twitter offices are temporarily closed following Musk’s two-day ultimatum, which resulted in mass resignations
In the middle of the commotion, Twitter has closed its operations until Monday, according to a document seen by Bloomberg. “Please continue to follow corporate policy by not discussing private material on social media, with the press, or elsewhere,” the memo said.
Elon Musk sought to persuade individuals to stay in the final hours before his deadline. According to those familiar with the situation, key workers were called into meetings as the Thursday evening deadline approached to hear ideas on Twitter’s future. Musk, who has previously stated his opposition to remote work, also sent a follow-up email yesterday softening his tone.
“All that is required for approval is that your manager accepts responsibility for ensuring that you are making an exceptional contribution,” Musk said, adding that employees should meet with their coworkers in person at least once a month.
But this wasn’t enough, as staff offered a salute emoji, which has become a symbol for leaving the firm, via Twitter’s internal communication channels. According to the report, former employees openly tweeted the salute as well as their internal Slack messages.
Some outgoing employees believed that because so many were leaving, along with their understanding of how the product works, Twitter could have difficulty correcting problems or updating systems during normal operations.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, had asked staff on Wednesday to formally affirm their willingness to continue working at the company, a commitment that would mean “working long hours at high intensity.” Employees had until Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern time to complete the paperwork.
The form only allowed one response: “Yes.” Anyone who did not accept the form by the deadline was told they would be laid off after three months.
Musk’s ultimatum came less than two weeks after he fired 50% of Twitter’s workforce or approximately 3,700 employees. Twitter just laid off 4,400 contract workers.
Many Twitter employees are said to have spoken with lawyers this week to figure out what to do. The form included little details regarding the severance packages, and it was unclear whether employees would receive legal protections that would allow them to keep vesting stock awards or continue to be covered by insurance.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk responded this morning with a tweet, saying that he is not concerned because the best employees are staying despite the mass resignations that have caused the company’s headquarters to close for a few days (at Twitter). The hashtag #RIPTwitter has also been trending on Twitter.
