Twitter Employees Warn Elon Musk, Say Mass Layoffs Would Be 'Reckless': Report
The Washington Post in a report recently said that Musk aims to slash its Twitter staff by 75 per cent in a matter of months
After reports emerged that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is planning "to cut 75 per cent of Twitter staff if he takes over", employees at the microblogging platform warned the world's richest man that mass layoffs would be "reckless", reported by IANS on Tuesday.
The micro-blogging platform tried to quell concerns of employees over reports of Tesla chief laying off the workforce as part of his takeover and clarified to employees that there haven't been plans for companywide layoffs since it signed a deal to be acquired by the billionaire.
In a memo written to employees, Twitter General Counsel Sean Edgett warned them against "tons of public rumors and speculation" as the deal draws to a close. "We do not have any confirmation of the buyer's plans following close and recommend not following rumors or leaked documents but rather wait for facts from us and the buyer directly," he said.
According to a report by TIME, as the deadline for Musk to finalise his $44-billion acquisition of Twitter approaches, an unidentified number of company employees wrote an open letter objecting to his proposal to fire up to 75 per cent of the company's workforce.
Recently, the Washington Post in a report said that Musk aims to slash its staff by 75 per cent in a matter of months. The acquisition of the social network set to close by October 28, would reduce Twitter's staff to just over 2,000 people, compared with the 7,500 it currently employs, the Washington Post reported, citing documents and sources. The layoffs will undoubtedly impact Twitter's daily operations, including its ability to moderate harmful content and combat security issues, according to the report.
"Elon Musk's plan to lay off 75 per cent of Twitter workers will hurt Twitter's ability to serve the public conversation," the letter reads.
"A threat of this magnitude is reckless, undermines our users' and customers' trust in our platform, and is a transparent act of worker intimidation. We cannot do our work in an environment of constant harassment and threats," it added. The letter also includes a list of demands for the "current and future leadership" of the company.
In addition to "fair severance policies for all workers", letter writers want Musk to keep existing employee benefits in place, including remote work.
The letter also suggests a potential ideological gap between some Twitter employees and Musk, who has expressed his preference for less moderation. "We demand that leadership does not discriminate against workers on the basis of their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs," the letter added.
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