“So Twitter… it was real and it was fun. But the ending wasn’t really fun,” a former employee from the company’s Global Wellness team wrote last night. He was among an estimated 3,700 of the company’s roughly 7,500 employees laid off by new owner Elon Musk this week.
Others offered pop culture references.
“Has the red wedding begun?” One employee wrote on Slack, according to the New York Times, minutes before the company sent out an email announcing the layoffs.
Former employees reported different language in the notices sent to them. Some samples:
“We recognize that this will affect a number of people who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company’s success going forward.” “… we are writing to inform you that your role on Twitter has been identified as potentially affected or at risk of termination.” “During this period, you will be in a non-working notice period and your access to Twitter systems will be disabled.”
Many departing employees were notified by email. Or as someone put it, “Official (and very dehumanizing) dismissal email received.” Other employees were simply locked out of the system and left to assume their services were no longer needed.
“I seem to be unemployed. Just remotely signed out of my work laptop and removed from Slack,” wrote one.
Twitter also locked out all employees — whether fired or not — from its offices.
“To ensure the security of every employee, as well as Twitter systems and customer data,” reads a statement, “our offices will be temporarily closed and all signal access will be suspended.”
Employees in New York, California and the company’s headquarters in Dublin, Ireland were affected.
The seemingly important Ethics, Transparency and Accountability group lost about 20 people, which is the full number of people, according to former member Joan Deitchman.
“Yes, the team is gone,” he wrote last night. “The team that researched and pushed for algorithmic transparency and algorithmic choice. The group studying algorithmic enhancement. The team that invented and built ethical AI tools and methodologies. All that is gone.”
Other layoffs include the company’s Global Head of Social & Editorial and its team of 17, Twitter’s Global Head of Culture & Community and US Head of Creator Content. Additional departments affected include Community, Learning Design, Entertainment Partnerships, Engineering, iOS dev, Global Wellness and Global Comms.
See a selection of employee announcements and comments below.
🫡 Yes, the group left. The group researching and pushing for algorithmic transparency and algorithmic choice. The group studying algorithmic enhancement. The team that invented and built ethical AI tools and methodologies. All of that is gone. — Joan Deitchman (@JoanDeitchman) November 4, 2022 Looks like I’m unemployed. I just logged out remotely from my work laptop and was removed from Slack. #OneTeam forever. I loved you all so much. So sad it had to end like this 💔 — Simon Balmain (@SBkcrn) November 4, 2022 Well, that doesn’t look promising. Unable to connect to emails. Mac won’t turn on. But he is so grateful that this happens at 3 in the morning. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness on the timing front guys. Meanwhile, to everyone else on Twitter, you guys are the best ❤️ #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/iWyAPeURcm — Chris Younie (@ChrisYounie) November 4, 2022 Well, my entire team just got locked out. officially ex-Tweep. it’s been a crazy ride 🫡💙 #OneTeam — neeks (@neeks_cap) November 4, 2022 It’s official I’m out. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and being able to be myself every day at work. My team was fantastic and grateful to have had the pleasure of working with them #LoveWhereYouWorked #OneTeam 🫡 — Dr. Yvette Thomas (@TechD0C) November 4, 2022 My ex-colleagues who have discovered that they have retired from Slack/laptop is as low as it gets. — Reesha Bonet 🌳🧘🏽♀️🌳 (@Reesha) November 4, 2022 Hi, I just lost access to all my Twitter connections so I guess that was it 🙁 If you’re still an iOS developer on Twitter, check out D1011300 I landed TODAY which wraps up a debug helper I quickly finished this week for the remaining iOS developers <3 last little giveaway <3#oneteam — JohannMG (@Johann_MG) November 4, 2022 I got the email… I still have work to do but I stayed up last night watching hard working, talented, caring people log off one by one and I don’t know what to say. Tweeps, you are remarkable. #OneTeam #TwitterLayoffs (My colleague captured it perfectly) pic.twitter.com/dLCx0Ts0bb — eli schutze🫡 (@elibelly) November 4, 2022 So Twitter… it was real, and it was fun. But the ending wasn’t really fun. My career, my character and my aspirations are forever changed by this incredible place and most importantly, its people. Be well, Tweeps!🫡#OneTeam #LoveWhereYouWorked — Joey (@jowehh) November 4, 2022 Well, it was real. ✌🏼Official (and very dehumanizing) dismissal email received. 🫡💙 The most amazing work with the incredible #OneTeam The best may be yet to come, but for now, I’m totally blown away. 🥺 😔 #LoveWhereYouWorked #LoveWhoYouWorked with — Lauren Pinnella Traylor (@laur_tray) November 4, 2022
