Elon Musk has confirmed that Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) is recruiting staff after mass layoffs since his $44bn takeover previously placed the social media company at the centre of controversy.
Providing a sweeping update on the platform’s performance, new chief executive Musk tweeted photos of a series of slides used in a talk he gave about the company.
Slides from my Twitter company talk pic.twitter.com/8LLXrwylta
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2022
His first slide simply read: “We’re recruiting,” in stark contrast to an early November tweet where he outlined he had “no choice” to lay off over 3,000 staff members due to the company’s daily losses of over US$4mln.
Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day.
Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2022
Following warnings of “long hours at High intensity,” many staff are reported to have quit the company, leaving it in the position of having to fill posts instead of cutting them.
Musk also tweeted that signups on the social media platform were at an all-time high, having risen by over two million per day in the last week. The billionare previously suggested that Twitter usage has experienced all-time highs under his leadership.
Another heated topic that Musk addressed was hate speech, as he highlighted that impressions had spiked at around the time he took over the company in late October but were now falling again.
Recently confirming that a “general amnesty” will be granted for users who have seen their accounts suspended for actions that did not break any laws, alongside reinstating the likes of Donald Trump and Kanye West onto the platform, Musk has faced outcry over fears that this, alongside relaxed content moderation, could increase harmful content on Twitter.
The people have spoken.
Amnesty begins next week.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2022
Civil rights groups, including a coalition known as ‘Stop Toxic Twitter,’ have been pressuring companies to halt advertising on the social media platform in light of these fears, including the likes of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), Coca Cola HBC AG (LSE:CCH), Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Google and Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR).
In a separate tweet, Musk confirmed he too is paying the charge he implemented for those wanting a blue tick verification on their profile, replying to his own post: “I am paying $8 btw.”
Having suggested such a charge was being implemented to shore up the company’s revenue amid struggles to retain advertisers, the introduction has seen members complain that anyone will now be able to become verified by paying, rather than just public figures.
Musk last week confirmed how the new system would work, outlining: “Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates.”