As layoffs start,
Twitter temporarily closes its offices.
The decision was made after a week of ambiguity regarding the company's future under Elon Musk's ownership.
In an email to employees, the social media business promised to inform them of any personnel reductions by Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific time (12 p.m. EDT/1600 GMT).
"On Friday, we will begin the challenging process of decreasing our global staff in an effort to put Twitter on a sound course."
Musk, the richest man in the world, wants to lay off nearly 3,700 Twitter employees, or almost half the workforce, in an effort to reduce costs and impose a rigorous new work culture.
According to posts from Twitter employees on Friday, the content moderation staff of the firm is anticipated to be a target of the cuts. Musk has pledged to protect free expression from turning into a "hellscape" while restoring it.
A request for comment from Twitter did not immediately receive a response.
Using the hashtag #OneTeam, Twitter employees expressed their anger about the layoffs on the social media platform.
Tweeted by user Rachel Bonn: "Actually, the final day that Twitter was Twitter was last Thursday in the San Francisco office. 9-month-old and eight months pregnant. Just lost access to my laptop."
Yoel Roth, Twitter's Head of Safety & Integrity, said on the #OneTeam thread "Tweeps: My direct message (DM) channels are available to you at all times. Inform me how I may assist."
Roth was the most senior executive to publicly express sympathy for employees who are losing their jobs via a tweet. He also appeared to be still employed. Musk backed Roth last week after being criticized for tweets that were disparaging of a former U.S. president, noting Roth's "high integrity." Years prior, President Donald Trump.
An inquiry for comment from Roth was not answered.
In the email, Twitter stated that all credential access would be suspended and that its offices would be temporarily closed in order "to help safeguard the safety of each employee as well as Twitter systems and customer data."
On Friday, the business' Piccadilly Circus, London, location seemed empty and there were no signs of any employees.
Inside, there was no sign that the social media juggernaut had ever occupied the space. Security personnel declined to speak further but stated that renovations were under progress.
Employees who weren't affected by the layoffs, according to the organization, would be informed via their company email addresses. The memo stated that employees who had been let go will receive notifications of the next stages at their home emails.
At Twitter's EMEA headquarters in Dublin, a security guard informed reporters that no one was coming into work on Friday and that staff members had been instructed to stay at home.
The front revolving doors of the building, where 500 or so employees worked before the layoffs started, were shut by another security guard.
Some workers worried they had been fired after learning their access to the company's IT system had been banned via Twitter.
"Looks like I'm out of a job, you guys. I recently had my work laptop remotely locked out and removed from Slack "A person with the handle @SBkcrn, who describes themselves as a former senior community manager at Twitter, posted.
Employees of Twitter have launched a class action complaint against the firm on Thursday, alleging that the corporation violated federal and California law by engaging in mass layoffs without giving the requisite 60 days' notice.
The lawsuit also requested a court order prohibiting Twitter from asking fired employees to sign paperwork without first alerting them that the case was still pending.
According to two persons familiar with the situation and an internal Slack message examined by Reuters, Musk has instructed Twitter's teams to find up to $1 billion in yearly infrastructure cost savings.
He has already dismissed the chief executive officer and the organization's top financial and legal officials. Others have left over the past week, including those in charge of the company's marketing, advertising, and human resources departments.
Chaos and uncertainty have characterized Musk's first week as Twitter's owner. It was decided to postpone two company-wide meetings for a few hours. According to employees interviewed by Reuters, they were left to put together information from news articles, secret communications services, and public message boards.
The layoffs, which had been anticipated for some time, have cooled Twitter's renownedly open corporate culture, which has been praised by many of its employees.
Please go home if you are in an office or on your way to one, Twitter advised in an email sent on Thursday.
Numerous people descended on the business' Slack channels to say farewell shortly after the email arrived in employees' inboxes, two employees told Reuters. According to the sources, Musk was requested to join the channel.
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