“#RIPTwitter”, “#TwitterDown”… The trending hashtags on Twitter, this Friday, November 18, do not bode well. Users around the world are worried about the latest wave of resignations within the American platform recently acquired by Elon Musk.
Big resignation?
During the night from Thursday to Friday, the social network experienced a veritable exodus of its employees to the United States, according to several media including CNN. Employees of the company were ordered to respond to an email from the new CEO, Elon Musk, failing to be fired immediately. The email in question asked employees if they wanted to stay or leave. They were then invited to tick the “yes” or “no” box on a dedicated form.
Employees who decide to stay will have to “working long hours at high intensity [afin de] build a revolutionary Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world”, it was specified. This toxic situation probably did not work in favor of Elon Musk. According to a Twitter employee interviewed by the BBC“there will probably be less than 2000 people left” in the next few hours.
The testimonies of resigners flow
The resigning employees announced on Twitter their departure from the company using the hashtag “#LoveWhereYouWorked” by tens. “Today I decided to quit Twitter. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to work in this amazing place with so many talented people. It was, indeed, my dream job”testifies a former employee in Ireland.
“After five and a half years, I have decided to leave Twitter. It was an absolute honor to work with my fellow Tweeps [le surnom des employés de Twitter, NDLR]”reacted Justin Hendryx, another ex-collaborator of the company.
The stability of Twitter in question?
This new wave of departures follows previous layoffs made by Musk at Twitter. The new boss laid off a large part of the workforce. In addition, the 4,400 contracts of the company’s 5,500 subcontractors have reportedly been canceled in recent days. All of the thanked staff were nevertheless carrying out missions essential to the stability of the social network.
This unprecedented social disruption in the company could severely impact the availability of the platform and cause security and content moderation issues. For several days, incidents have multiplied around Twitter services. In response to the many departures in recent hours, the management of the social network has decided to lock the premises of the company until further notice in order to avoid any sabotage. A widespread mess that should not fail to cool advertisers a little more.