Elon Musk gave Twitter employees an ultimatum a day ago: either they commit to the company’s new “hardcore” work environment or they leave the company. However, more employees than Musk apparently expected are refusing to press the only selection button with “Yes”, thus causing the operation of the short message service to falter, according to informed circles.
So many employees have apparently decided to quit as a result that it is no longer clear who should still have access to company property. According to a memo given to the intelligence service Bloomberg is available, Twitter has therefore closed its offices until Monday. “Please continue to comply with company policy by not discussing confidential information on social media, with the press, or elsewhere,” the memo said.
In the last few hours before the deadline, Musk tried to persuade his employees to stay. According to people familiar with the matter, key employees were invited to meetings on Thursday night, when the deadline was due, to hear suggestions for the social network’s future. Musk, who had previously said he was firmly against remote work, sent another email Thursday softening his tone. “All that is required for approval is that your manager takes responsibility for making an excellent contribution,” he wrote, adding that employees should have face-to-face meetings with their peers at least once a month.
Salute emoji becomes an icon
Apparently that wasn’t enough. Twitter’s internal communication channels filled with employees flashing a salute emoji, which has become a symbol of leaving the company. Former employees also tweeted the greeting publicly, along with their internal Slack messages.
Employees who have left the company stressed that so many have since resigned and now lack their knowledge of how the social network works to troubleshoot problems or update systems during normal operations.
Possible US government review
Twitter’s future also depends on a possible US government review of Musk’s international deals. In the roughly $44 billion takeover of Twitter, Musk received money from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, a subsidiary of Qatar’s state investment fund and cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which was originally founded in China. “I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and technical relationships with other countries are worth examining,” US President Joe Biden recently said. He doesn’t want to imply that Musk is doing anything wrong. However, an examination is in order.