After Elon Musk’s ultimatum, the fate of Twitter is in question – Photo
According to former employees and several American media outlets, hundreds of employees have turned down an ultimatum from the new owner and boss, who gave them the choice between working tirelessly to “build the revolutionary Twitter 2.0” or leaving with three months’ pay. . Half of the Californian group’s 7,500 employees were already laid off by the multibillionaire two weeks ago, and around 700 workers had already resigned over the summer without certainty that the takeover would go ahead.
“My friends are gone, my vision is blurry, a storm is coming and there is no financial incentive. What would you do? You would sacrifice time with your children on holidays for vague promises and () would you even make a rich person richer?”, a computer engineer and director on Twitter and summed up Peter Clowes, who “survived layoffs” according to his Linkedin profile. Like many other employees of the California group, he detailed his hesitations and reasons for his choice, saying that he “doesn’t hate Elon Musk,” understands some of the boss’s decisions, and “Twitter’s success He announced that he wants to see him win”. But according to him, his team has only “three engineers out of 75”.
Towards the end of Twitter?
“If I had stayed, I would have been on duty almost permanently with no specific support on complex computer systems that I had no experience with,” he said. In addition, “no vision has been shared with us. There is no five-year plan like at Tesla. (…) It’s a pure test of loyalty,” he explains. “What should Twitter do now?” Elon Musk tweeted on Friday. Tesla’s boss wanted to buy the Californian company in the spring, then he no longer wanted it in the summer and was forced to buy it for $44 billion in late October to avoid a lawsuit. .
After being passed, he mobilized round-the-clock teams for controversial projects that had to be postponed. He launched a massive social plan and made promises to advertisers while threatening them before he was forced to recall important people. Many users of the social network, including former employees, journalists and analysts, wonder if the end of Twitter is near. “And… we just hit a new peak in Twitter usage, lol,” Elon Musk quipped Thursday night. He also tweeted a skull and crossbones pirate flag and meme (parody photo), showing a man with a bluebird face, and posing in front of a grave with a bluebird mask, as if Twitter was gleefully witnessing his own funeral.
The workers chose to stay
On Thursday afternoon, Twitter notified all employees that the company’s premises were temporarily closed and inaccessible, even by sign, according to an internal letter published by several American media outlets. On Thursday evening, anti-Elon Musk messages such as “Elon Musk, shut up,” “Stop toxic Twitter” or “Before you go bankrupt” were projected on the facade of the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, right next to the logo. Photos by local NBC reporter Gia Wang. Dozens of current and especially former employees met on Thursday evening in the platform’s audio lounges “Spaces” to support each other and share memories. Employees who chose to stay spoke of their unwavering commitment to the social network and their desire to see it survive or even be reborn.
Democrat-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “Bravo to all Twitterers. You built a vital connection and deserved better. (…) Thank you,” she tweeted, indicating where it was found on other platforms. that was the end of the tweet network. Other elected officials and regulators have reacted with concern, particularly at the idea that the service’s ability to manage content has been compromised. US senators have warned that Elon Musk’s plans “compromise the integrity and security of the platform”. The multi-billionaire “will not be able to do what he wants” in Europe, blasted European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton on fraceinfo on Friday. “He knows what the conditions are to keep Twitter running in Europe,” he added, stressing the need to bring in more moderators instead of firing them. Damien Viel, Twitter’s general manager in France since 2015, announced his departure from the company in a tweet on Sunday.
