ISLAMABAD/SAN FRANCISCO: The future of Twitter appeared to be in doubt Friday after Elon Musk, the company’s new owner, issued an ultimatum that led to its headquarters being shut down and many key staff announcing their resignation.
There were growing concerns that a new exodus would endanger one of the most powerful online platforms used by the world’s media, governments, businesses, and celebrities as a vital communication tool.
According to former employees and US media, hundreds of employees rejected Musk’s ultimatum that they be “extremely hardcore” or quit the firm.
Elon Musk, also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla and SpaceX, has drawn criticism for introducing significant changes to the California-based company he recently acquired for $44 billion.
Musk had announced an $8 subscriber fee to get verified accounts, but the move backfired as several users started mimicking politicians and influential figures, including Elon Musk.
After Twitter layoffs, tech giants follow suit
The social media titan Facebook recently announced a mass layoff, axing 11,000 employees. The billionaire said this did not “play out” as he had expected. Furthermore, he took the blame and said, “I got this wrong.”
There have been layoffs at TikTok since July, a 20% reduction at Snap was reported in August, and Apple continues to ponder slow hiring.
Earlier, Amazon officially started axing employees across its Alexa and cloud gaming divisions after reports emerged that the e-commerce juggernaut planned to let go of 10,000 employees.
