Twitter’s much-talked-about layoffs under new boss Elon Musk became official Thursday — as staffers received an email alerting them to the “unfortunate” moves.
The internal email, obtained by the Washington Post, warned workers at the social media giant that the terminations would kickoff Friday morning as Musk’s takeover of the company continues to shake its workplace culture.
“In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce on Friday,” the email said.
“We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company’s success moving forward.”
It had previously been reported that as many as 3,700 Twitter workers — half of its workforce — would be on the chopping block.
Thursday’s ominous message sent staffers prematurely saying their goodbyes. Many posted salute and heart emojis in their Slack channels, The New York Times said.
All staffers will receive some type of message alerting them of their future standing at company, according to the email. Those who are keeping their jobs will be notified through their work account, while those being laid off will be messaged through their personal email.
Firings will be determined by staffers contributing to Twitter’s code during their tenure at the company, sources previously said.
Twitter offices will be temporarily closed and badge access suspended as the firings commence, the emails said.
The email comes just days after Musk ordered his new employees to “work 24/7” to overhaul Twitter’s verification process, which he also plans to unveil by Friday. Verified users will have to pay $8 per month to keep their blue check under his “Twitter Blue” subscription plan.
The verification-for-pay policy stirred drama from many, most notably Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who called out Musk on the platform Wednesday.
Musk has caused monumental drama since officially acquiring Twitter last week. He began the takeover by firing former CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal, as well as the company’s top legal executive and general counsel.
The Tesla founder has also canceled one of Twitter’s top employee perks: one “rest day” off from work per month and plans to end the company’s remote work policy.