Elon Musk launches wave of layoffs at Twitter

A lot has happened at Twitter since Elon Musk took over. The tech billionaire seems to have adapted the short message service to his ideas in a very short time. The focus is now apparently on making the social network as profitable as possible. After all, the Tesla boss has put internal pressure on the subscription model called “Twitter Blue” to be implemented by November 7, 2022. If the staff fails to do so, Musk is threatening more layoffs.

A wave is rolling over Twitter

It has been less than a week since Elon Musk was officially named Twitter’s new chief executive. But in just the first few days of his new chief post, the dazzling tech giant has already turned the place upside down. Not only did he promptly fire the executive suite. He even had one of the former executives escorted out of the building. So it’s hardly surprising that the rest of the workforce is now worried about losing their jobs. After all, the Tesla boss announced a few days ago that he wanted to cut 75 percent of the jobs at Twitter.

That this is not just talk is now clear from a article from the tech magazine The Verge. In it, you can read that Elon Musk is exerting proper pressure on the workforce behind the scenes of the short message service. They are supposed to integrate Twitter Blue into the system in a new form by Monday, November 7, 2022. The paid subscription model, which has so far cost $4.99 per month, is then to cost $19.99. If the responsible employees do not comply with this request, they will be threatened with expulsion.

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Users face expulsion

The new subscription price is equivalent to a four-fold increase. Of course, this is likely to cause squabbles not only internally at Twitter. After all, Twitter was once considered completely free. That’s why the introduction of the subscription at the previous price will have already pissed off some employees. Subscribers in particular will think twice about whether they are really willing to go along with this price increase. But here, too, they obviously want to exert pressure. It is possible to opt out of the subscription, but the price is also high. After all, you are supposed to lose your coveted blue checkmark when you opt out. Since the accounts have already been verified, this step can hardly be surpassed in audacity. Users are given a total of 90 days to think about it. Otherwise, the hook is gone.

Supremacy over Twitter

Elon Musk’s approach looks like an unparalleled clean-up operation. While restructuring in other companies often takes months, the Tesla boss is really pushing the envelope at Twitter. He has enlisted the help of people who know a thing or two about speed. For example, Tesla engineers are currently helping Elon Musk coordinate the layoffs. This also emerges from the article by The Verge. Not only the coders are in focus, which apparently had to do little programming work lately.

Also, the Board of Directors, which previously supported and advised the executive suite, was apparently dismissed. Thus, Elon Musk has in a sense created for himself an autocracy over the short message service. Now that the control tasks and the right to a say of the important board have been eliminated, Musk can shape Twitter the way he always wanted. However, it is doubtful whether this, in combination with the skyrocketing subscription price, can counteract the currently shrinking user numbers.