Twitter staff cuts: Why jobs are being axed at social media giant after Elon Musk takeover

He has already fired the entire board of Twitter and sparked a row after he unveiled plans to start charging a monthly fee for the coveted “blue tick”.

Now the social media platform’s new owner – and sole executive – Elon Musk has announced he is to slash his workforce in a bid to “ensure the company’s success”.

It is believed around half of the firm’s 7,500 staff could be laid off. Individual workers are to be told today whether they will be affected by the plans. All offices have been closed, with staff told they will not be allowed to access Twitter buildings until they know if they have lost their jobs.

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Since taking control of the company last week in a $44 billion (£39.3bn) deal, Mr Musk has announced sweeping changes to the platform

He has pledged to change how the site handles content moderation and has also suggested allowing banned accounts, including that of former US president Donald Trump, back on to the site. However, this has raised concerns among many users and advertisers, with reports suggesting some businesses will suspend advertising with Twitter if accounts such as Mr Trump's are allowed to return.

Just hours before news broke of the cuts, Mr Musk, who has changed his Twitter biography to “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator”, began a discussion on the site about his dislike of “small talk”.

"Tiny talk is talk so small it feels like it’s coming from your own mind,” he added, shortly after publishing a tweet that said he believed Twitter could be seen as a “collective, cybernetic super-intelligence”.

Last week, verified Twitter users hit out at plans to charge $8 a month for the “blue tick”. Verified users range from celebrities and journalists to people who are eminent in their field – to ensure their names cannot be used by fraudsters. The new subscription format is likely to be introduced later this month.

Elon Musk says he intends to shake up Twitter.Elon Musk says he intends to shake up Twitter.
Elon Musk says he intends to shake up Twitter.

According to an internal email reportedly sent to staff, the job cuts are "an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path" and action is "unfortunately necessary to ensure the company's success moving forward".

Staff have been told that everyone will receive an email by 4pm UK time on Friday, with those who are affected by the cuts set to receive the message on their personal email address.

But Mr Musk’s plans to cut up to 3,700 staff may yet hit a roadblock. A lawsuit has been filed in the US federal court in San Francisco seeking orders for Twitter to comply with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The legislation requires 60 days’ notice for mass sackings at large employers.

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The internal email said: "Given the nature of our distributed workforce and our desire to inform impacted individuals as quickly as possible, communications for this process will take place via email.”

The message said Twitter's offices around the world would be "temporarily closed" and that staff badge access "will be suspended".

"If you are in an office or on your way to an office, please return home," the email said.

Before completing his takeover, Mr Musk said in a message to advertisers that he would not allow the platform to become a "free-for-all hellscape" despite previously describing himself as a "free speech absolutist".

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