- Insider has learned that Elon Musk began terminating employees late Thursday.
- Twitter employees were denied access to many work platforms and it was clear that they were fired.
- Just hours after workers received an email warning them to expect layoffs on Friday, the move took place.
After Elon Musk, now the owner of Twitter, told employees to expect layoffs the next day, Twitter employees started losing access to their work platforms.
Multiple employees reported to Insider that Slack and email were suddenly blocked for workers just after 8 p.m. on Thursday night. The employees believed they could be counted among the 3,700 others, despite not receiving an official notice explaining their dismissal. Musk’s planned layoffs are expected to have an impact.Â
One person stated, “It’s moving East to West.” It was first discovered by people in London working for Twitter, then New York and finally, those working remotely in the Midwest. Multiple employees stated that California, Twitter’s largest hub, will be next.
One person who was affected by the New York layoffs said that “my entire team is gone.” They were part of a 30-plus person team. Another person said that 90% of the team was eliminated.
Twitter employees received their first communication from Musk just hours earlier. It was an note explaining they could expect layoffs to begin on Friday, sent after Insider reportedSuch plans. Twitter stated that all affected workers will receive an email Friday morning at 9:00 ET/6:30 PT.
Multiple employees stated that they had not received any such email when employees were being cut on Thursday night.
Twitter also stated that the company was closing all its offices “temporarily”. The company also stated that it was “temporarily” closing all offices. You were asked to immediately leaveOffice security began to patrol the offices in New York City and San Francisco, ensuring that no employees were leaving or were missing. The suddenness caught some workers by surprise, especially since Musk started demanding intense work after taking over Twitter. Some employees were forced to sleep in the office. After people were laid off, it was more logical to move people quickly out of the office.
“It is a breakup by text,” one person who was affected said.
In response to news of layoffs Friday morning, hundreds of Twitter employees began flooding Slack with blue hearts. This was according to Insider’s employees.
A Titanic employee said, “The Titanic struck an iceberg” Musk made headlines last week. Rapidly firedInsider reported that Twitter has its entire C-suite as well as a number high ranking managers.Â
Workers in New York City and San Francisco took photos throughout Thursday. It was an attempt to make Thursday “the best possible last day,” two of them said. Employees joked about Musk’s mass layoffs on Slack and in Private messages, referring to the Marvel character who made half of the universe disappear with one finger.
Another worker who was impacted said, “I’m actually relieved.” Musk said that it was literally the “Hunger Games” during the week he worked under him.
Musk has already begun to remake Twitter in his own image. He demands constant work, quick turnarounds on critical projects, and eliminates employee perks. Workers discovered that Thursday was a companywide “day off”, a weekday in which the company had not worked. Removed from their calendars. These days were established by the former CEO Jack Dorsey was Jack’s co-founderMusk, who often urged people to avoid burning out and to prioritize their personal time over work, was a frequent speaker. Musk now demands that people use Twitter Literally, work 24 hours a dayAnd at a “maniacal” paceAccording to Insider,
Twitter under Musk looks set to be both more diverse and smaller.
Are you a Twitter employee, or do you have insights to share? Kali Hays can be reached at khays@insider.com or via secure messaging app Signal (949-280-0267) or Twitter DM @hayskali. Reach out with a non-work device.
