Twitter Shuts Down Offices as 1,200 Workers Resign
Over 1,200 Twitter employees resign after Elon Musk issues an "extremely hardcore" work ultimatum, prompting the company to close its offices and disable badge access.
Over 1,200 Twitter employees resign after Elon Musk issues an ultimatum demanding workers commit to an "extremely hardcore" culture of long hours or leave with severance pay. This massive wave of departures shrinks the workforce dramatically, as the company previously cut its staff in half through earlier layoffs. Following the mass resignations, Twitter closes all of its office buildings and disables employee badge access until Monday.
Despite his reputation as a leading tech mind, Musk frantically sends emails to the remaining staff asking anyone who writes software to report to the 10th floor in San Francisco. He even asks out-of-town engineers to fly in immediately for an in-person meeting. The urgent gathering reveals that Musk is still trying to understand the platform's "tech stack," which is the underlying software infrastructure of the company he just purchased for $44 billion.
The sudden exodus of talent stems directly from the CEO's strict Wednesday deadline, which gives employees until Thursday evening to sign a pledge or accept three months of severance. Hundreds of workers choose the severance package rather than accept the intense new working conditions. The situation leaves the social media giant scrambling to maintain basic operations with a severely depleted roster of engineers and staff.