Twitter-Musk News Timeline: #RIPTwitter Trends After Employees Resign

Twitter’s new proprietor and CEO, Elon Musk, has been making dramatic adjustments since he finalized a deal to purchase the corporate for about $44 billion on Oct. 27. After shedding half the workers, he gave remaining workers an ultimatum to pledge working beneath his new hard-charging tradition or get out. Many, it appears, determined to go away.

Twitter’s saga with Musk, who additionally runs automaker Tesla and aerospace firm SpaceX, was chaotic even earlier than he took management. He signed a deal in April to accumulate the corporate however then tried to again out of it, main Twitter to sue him. After months of pretrial skirmishes, Musk closed the acquisition proper earlier than a court-ordered deadline. 

This is the latest information about Musk’s takeover of Twitter:

Nov. 17: Twitter customers worry the tip of the platform is close to. Musk locks workplace doorways as many workers take severance provides. In the meantime, senators need FTC investigation

Twitter customers began tweeting farewell remarks as #RIPTwitter trended on the platform within the US and different elements of the world. 

Fears a few potential collapse of the location got here after tons of of workers determined to go away the corporate earlier within the day. One former Twitter worker informed The Washington Put up that there is no longer “a skeleton crew manning the system.” “It’ll proceed to coast till it runs into one thing, after which it is going to cease,” the worker mentioned. Musk tweeted a meme with Twitter’s emblem on a grave stone. 

The remaining 3,500 someodd workers left at Twitter had a option to make on the finish of the day on Nov. 17: Be a part of Musk’s hard-charging new “Twitter 2.0,” full with minimum-40-hour-workweeks and lots of different grueling adjustments, or go away with three months of severance.

As much as 75% of remaining workers reportedly went for the exits, in line with Fortune and Bloomberg, creating confusion about what number of remaining folks would have entry to the workplaces. together with what the Verge mentioned had been some “legendary” engineers and coders.

Across the similar time, the corporate reportedly locked the doorways to its San Francisco headquarters till Nov. 21, in line with the tech newsletter Platformer. Twitter, which now not seems to have a PR division, did not reply to a request for remark.

All of this occured after Musk softened his stance on how he needed to run the brand new Twitter, at the very least considerably. An e-mail despatched to Twitter workers on Nov. 9 mentioned distant work could be banned, however a message emailed to workers on Nov. 17 had Musk saying distant work may be out there if accepted, in line with a report from Bloomberg. 

“All that’s required for approval is that your supervisor takes accountability for guaranteeing that you’re making a wonderful contribution,” Musk mentioned within the e-mail. He additionally needed workers to have in-person staff conferences at the very least as soon as a month. 

Twitter can also be dealing with extra scrutiny from US lawmakers. A gaggle of Democratic senators despatched a letter to Lina Khan, the chairwoman of the US Federal Commerce Fee. Outlined within the letter are what the legislators described as “alarming steps” taken by Musk together with new options which were used for scams, a rise in hate speech and the removing of cybersecurity executives throughout the firm, probably placing customers’ private knowledge in danger. The senators level out that this motion might imply the corporate is in violation of the FTC’s consent decree to guard this knowledge as a part of a settlement with the fee in 2011. 

“We urge the Fee to vigorously oversee its consent decree with Twitter and to deliver enforcement actions in opposition to any breaches or enterprise practices which are unfair or misleading, together with bringing civil penalties and imposing legal responsibility on particular person Twitter executives the place applicable,” the senators mentioned. 

Among the many seven Democratic senators are Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey. 

Twitter violated the consent decree again in Might when the FTC discovered the corporate used safety knowledge like telephone numbers and e-mail addresses to focus on promoting at customers. This led to a $150 million settlement paid by Twitter.

Musk appeared to finish the day poking enjoyable at his earlier warning Twitter could go bankrupt.

Twitter did not reply to an earlier request for remark both.

Nov. 16: Musk calls for ‘hardcore’ work tradition. Dorsey’s ‘nope’

Musk emailed all workers to outline his vision for “Twitter 2.0,” which would require an “extraordinarily hardcore” tradition, with lengthy hours and excessive depth, in line with Pragmatic Engineer author (and former Uber engineer) Gergely Orosz. Workers should comply with this on Thursday or go away with three months of severance pay. 

Throughout testimony Wednesday over a Tesla shareholder case alleging that his wage as CEO is extreme, Musk additionally reportedly informed the courtroom that he doesn’t wish to be CEO of Tesla, and that his chief govt management of Twitter is a short lived association.

“I count on to scale back my time at Twitter and discover any person else to run Twitter over time,” he mentioned, in line with CNBC.

Twitter did not reply to a request for remark.

When a follower requested Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey if he’d contemplate returning as CEO, Dorsey responded with a agency “nope.” There isn’t any indication that he bought a proposal to return — the follower’s question got here after Dorsey engaged in dialog about Twitter’s future and expressed confidence that the location would survive. His earlier tenure as CEO led to Might 2021, and he left its board of administrators in Might 2022. 

Nov. 15: Employees fired for talking about Musk on Slack

Workers who criticized Elon Musk in Twitter’s Slack channels were fired overnight via email, Platformer’s Casey Newton mentioned a tweet. They had been apparently informed their “current habits has violated firm coverage.” It is unclear how many individuals had been affected.

Twitter did not reply to a request for remark.

Nov. 14: Musk desires larger Twitter video assist

Talking by way of video hyperlink, Musk informed enterprise leaders through the G20 summit in Bali that he desires to see Twitter assist extra longer-form video to herald extra content material creators. He additionally famous that he is been working “on the absolute most quantity … from morning til night time, seven days every week” because the acquisition.

Nov. 13: SpaceX reportedly buys main Twitter advert bundle

SpaceX, Musk’s aerospace firm, ordered a Twitter “takeover” promoting bundle for its satellite tv for pc web service Starlink, CNBC reported. This can seemingly promote the service on folks’s Twitter timelines in Spain and Australia and may value greater than $250,000. It comes after some advertisers paused campaigns because of the upheaval at Twitter. 

SpaceX did not reply to a request for remark.

Nov. 12: 1000’s of contract workers seemingly terminated

Twitter reduce 1000’s of contract workers, in line with Platformer’s Casey Newton, Axios and CNBC, with Newton reporting that round 4,400 of Twitter’s roughly 5,500 contractors had been affected. Most did not get any discover and came upon as a result of they misplaced entry to the corporate’s e-mail and inside communications programs, Newton reported.

The corporate did not reply to a request for remark.

Nov. 11: Twitter Blue subscription possibility vanishes

The choice to join the $8 a month subscription service Twitter Blue is now not out there on Twitter’s iOS app, as earlier reported by The Verge. The shift comes days after the service launched for Apple units and previous to its Android launch. Making an attempt to subscribe on desktop directs you to the iOS app.

CNET can verify that this manifests in two distinct methods: the choice to subscribe has vanished from the sidebar, and tapping the hyperlink provides you an error message. 

“Thanks to your curiosity!” it reads. “Twitter Blue can be out there in your nation sooner or later. Please examine again later.”

It is unclear why the corporate paused signups for the service, however a lot of customers reportedly purchased verification to impersonate brands and celebrities. An internal note posted on its Slack mentioned it stopped folks from subscribing “to assist handle impersonation points,” in line with tech outlet Platformer’s Zoë Schiffer.

Twitter did not reply to CNET’s request for remark.

Nov. 10: Musk bans distant work and warns of chapter, legal professional says he is risking billions in FTC fines

Musk despatched his first emails to workers on Nov. 9, warning that “the financial image forward is dire.” He banned distant work except he personally accepted it, in line with Bloomberg, whereas The New York Occasions reported that he informed employees “absolutely the prime precedence is discovering and suspending any verified bots/trolls/spam.”

An legal professional on Twitter’s privateness staff posted a message within the firm’s Slack warning that Musk’s give attention to monetizing its customers is making him take harmful steps, The Verge reported. It is apparently at explicit danger of incurring billions in fines from the Federal Commerce Fee within the wake of a Might settlement relating to using private information to focus on advertisements.

Twitter’s chief privateness officer, Damien Kieran; Chief Data Safety Officer Lea Kissner; and Chief Compliance Officer Marianne Fogarty all resigned, The Verge famous. Kissner’s departure confirmed her departure in a tweet.

Musk additionally reportedly informed workers chapter was a risk, Bloomberg reported, citing an individual acquainted with the matter. Two extra Twitter executives — Yoel Roth, the corporate’s head of belief and security, and Robin Wheeler, who led advertising and gross sales at Twitter — additionally resigned, in line with the report. Wheeler then determined to remain on the firm after Musk persuaded her to take action, Bloomberg reported. Roth, Wheeler and Musk’s lawyer Alex Spiro did not reply to a request for remark. 

Nov. 9: Musk tries to reassure advertisers amid confusion about examine marks

Twitter’s rollout of a new verification system is messy. Twitter began including grey examine marks and an “official” label to high-profile Twitter accounts however then scrapped among the adjustments hours later.

In an hour-long stay audio chat on Twitter later within the day, Musk mentioned the brand new labels are an “aesthetic nightmare when wanting on the Twitter feed” and “one other approach of making a two-class system.” 

Esther Crawford, who oversees early-stage merchandise at Twitter, tweeted that the corporate would nonetheless be rolling out the “official” label however to authorities and business entities first. Twitter additionally began permitting folks so as to add blue examine marks to their profiles in the event that they pay $8 a month for a Twitter Blue subscription. Scammers are already utilizing the brand new system to create faux accounts. Twitter mentioned it will droop accounts engaged in misleading ways and impersonation.

Within the audio chat, Musk mentioned Twitter’s plans for a content material moderation council and selections by corporations to quickly pause their promoting campaigns on Twitter.

“I do not assume having hate speech subsequent to an advert is nice. Clearly,” he mentioned. Musk additionally mentioned he thinks it is going to take Twitter a few months to create a content material moderation council. 

He signaled, although, that he is not planning to decelerate in terms of altering Twitter. 

“The speed of evolution of Twitter can be an immense step change in comparison with what it has been prior to now,” he mentioned. “You understand, if nothing else, I’m a technologist and I could make know-how go quick.”

Nov. 6: Paid examine marks could also be pushed again, Musk cracks down on impersonation

Paid verification reportedly delayed till after election

Twitter is suspending the rollout of verification badges linked to an $8 month-to-month subscription service till after the midterm elections, in line with The New York Occasions.

Impersonators get the boot

Musk warned that any Twitter account partaking in impersonation with out clearly specifying that it is parody would get hit with a everlasting ban. In response, some customers modified their names to “Elon Musk,” which led to their suspension.

Nov. 5: Paying for examine marks, listening to from Dorsey

Pay-for-verification plan exhibits up in iOS replace

Model notes for the most recent iteration of Twitter’s app for the Apple iPhone confirmed up within the App Retailer, with a What’s New part that pointed to the verification function. The notes inform customers that “beginning at present” for those who “enroll now” for an $8-a-month Twitter Blue subscription, “your account will get a blue checkmark, identical to the celebrities, corporations, and politicians you already observe.” It seems, although, that this system hasn’t truly kicked in but. Learn extra right here.

Dorsey weighs in

With information stories saying Twitter had laid off about half its workers, co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey took to the service to supply phrases of encouragement and to position blame on himself.

“I personal the accountability for why everyone seems to be on this state of affairs: I grew the corporate measurement too shortly. I apologize for that,” Dorsey tweeted. He additionally known as Twitter staffers previous and current “resilient” and said, “I’m grateful for, and love, everybody who has ever labored on Twitter. I do not count on that to be mutual on this second.”

In April, Dorsey expressed his assist of Musk taking on the corporate, however he additionally mentioned that in precept, he thought nobody ought to personal or run Twitter and that it ought to as a substitute be “a public good.”

Nov. 4: Musk says Twitter has had ‘large drop’ in income

Since Musk’s takeover, a number of main advertisers, comparable to Tesla rival Normal Motors, meals firm Normal Mills and pharmaceutical company Pfizer, have quickly paused their advert campaigns on Twitter. Musk tweeted that Twitter has had a “large drop” in income, which he blamed on activist teams pressuring advertisers. Musk did not say in his tweet how a lot Twitter’s income has fallen, nor did he determine the activists. Within the tweet, Musk additionally mentioned Twitter hasn’t modified its content material moderation insurance policies. 

Musk additionally made an look on the Baron Funding Convention, the place he famous that Twitter grappled with income challenges earlier than the acquisition and that he tried to get out of the deal.

His remarks got here after Twitter began shedding workers. Musk later tweeted that there was “no alternative when the corporate is dropping over $4M/day.” With out specifying how many individuals had been laid off or what share of the workforce, Musk added they had been “supplied 3 months of severance.” Reportedly, about half of Twitter’s 7,500-person work pressure was laid off.

Civil rights teams that met with Musk spoke out in regards to the layoffs.

“For starters, there is no method to maintain election integrity in place in case you are slicing capability to do the monitoring in #TwitterLayoffs,” tweeted Rashad Robinson, president of racial justice group Coloration of Change. The group is a part of #StopToxicTwitter, a coalition of greater than 60 organizations which are urging main advertisers to pause spending and spend money on content material moderation. Companions listed on the coalition’s web site embody the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Public Citizen, and the Union of Involved Scientists.

The Volkswagen Group and others reportedly paused advert spending due to considerations that advertisements might seem alongside problematic content material on the platform.

Nov. 3: Musk appears for tactics to chop prices, lawsuit filed

Musk desires to chop prices and make Twitter much less depending on promoting. 

Reuters, citing two sources acquainted with the matter and an inside Slack message, reported that Musk directed Twitter’s staff to search out greater than $1 billion in infrastructure value financial savings.

The corporate is different methods to generate income outdoors of promoting, together with “paywalled” movies and paid direct messages, The New York Occasions reported, citing two folks with data of the matter and inside paperwork.

Musk is already making adjustments to Twitter’s work tradition. Bloomberg reported that Musk has eliminated “days of relaxation” from Twitter’s worker calendars and plans to cancel the corporate’s distant work coverage. Twitter did not reply to a request for remark.

Twitter reportedly informed workers in an e-mail that layoffs would occur. A lawsuit searching for class motion standing, accused Twitter of violating the federal Employee Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires giant corporations to present least 60 days of advance discover earlier than mass layoffs, as beforehand reported by Bloomberg.

Nov. 2: Musk reportedly plans to chop half of Twitter’s workforce

Musk plans to chop about 3,700 jobs at Twitter, or half of the social media firm’s workforce, Bloomberg reported. Affected staffers are to be told of their destiny by Nov. 4, sources informed the information outlet.

Musk additionally plans to reverse the corporate’s current work-from-anywhere coverage, requiring remaining workers to report back to an workplace, the unidentified sources mentioned.

In a single state of affairs for decreasing Twitter’s workforce being thought-about, laid off employees can be supplied 60 days’ value of severance pay. Twitter customers have been bracing for layoffs since Musk introduced his bid for Twitter in April. One report indicated that Musk deliberate to chop 75% of jobs at Twitter.

Nov. 1: Musk suggests charging for verification

In a sequence of tweets, Musk floated the concept Twitter cost $8 per 30 days for a verified blue examine mark as a part of its subscription plan. The corporate’s subscription service, generally known as Twitter Blue, at the moment prices $5 per 30 days however does not embody verification as a perk.

Twitter at the moment does not cost to confirm accounts with a blue examine mark, and the badge is meant to be given out to accounts that the corporate determines are “notable, genuine and lively.” The blue examine mark is supposed to assist customers decide if an account of a celeb, journalist or different public determine is faux or not.

Musk tweeted that the value could be adjusted by nation and that the subscription would come with “precedence in replies, mentions & search, which is crucial to defeat spam/rip-off,” in addition to the “means to publish lengthy video & audio.” He additionally mentioned customers would see “half as many advertisements.” 

Earlier within the day, The Wall Avenue Journal reported that Twitter Blue subscribers will lose entry to ad-free articles from publishers like Vox, the Los Angeles Occasions and Insider. There have been varied stories of various costs for a Twitter Blue subscription, with the corporate additionally reportedly having thought-about growing the subscription value to $20 a month.

It is unclear from Musk’s tweets if verified customers must pay for a subscription or lose their blue examine mark. Musk tweeted there could be “a secondary tag” for public figures, just like the one now used for politicians.

The corporate’s chief buyer officer, Sarah Personette, additionally revealed in a tweet that she resigned.

In the meantime, Twitter mentioned it has eliminated 1,500 accounts since Oct. 29 for posting hateful content material.

Oct. 31: Official CEO, board dissolved, layoff plans, no Trump choice but, content material moderation restricted

Days after naming himself “Chief Twit” on his Twitter profile, Musk confirmed he is the corporate’s CEO by means of a securities submitting. Different adjustments to Twitter’s management are additionally underway. A associated securities submitting exhibits Twitter’s board of administrators was dissolved the day Musk took over and recognized Musk because the “sole director” of the corporate. 

He additionally reportedly plans to put off 25% of Twitter’s workforce, The Washington Put up reported, citing nameless sources. 

Musk, who has beforehand mentioned he would reverse former US President Donald Trump’s everlasting ban from Twitter, continues to be getting questions on whether or not he’ll observe by means of on that. Twitter booted Trump from its platform in 2021 following the lethal US Capitol Hill riot due to considerations that his remarks might incite extra violence. 

“If I had a greenback for each time somebody requested me if Trump is coming again on this platform, Twitter could be minting cash!” Musk tweeted. 

Twitter additionally restricted some Belief and Security worker entry to inside instruments, Bloomberg reported, curbing their means to reasonable content material and handle misinformation forward of subsequent week’s US elections. They’ll apparently nonetheless edit or take away posts that might end in real-world hurt.

“That is precisely what we (or any firm) needs to be doing within the midst of a company transition to scale back alternatives for insider danger. We’re nonetheless implementing our guidelines at scale,” Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of security and integrity, tweeted in response to Bloomberg’s story.

Oct. 30: Musk toys with checkmark adjustments and Vine revival, tweets misinformation

Musk has been busy suggesting adjustments to Twitter. He tweeted a ballot about whether or not Twitter ought to deliver again Vine, a short-form video app that Twitter shut down in 2017. 

Twitter additionally reportedly plans to cost $20 per 30 days for its Twitter Blue subscription service, and verified customers would lose their blue checkmark if they do not achieve this in 90 days, The Verge reported, citing nameless sources. Platformer’s Casey Newton reported that Twitter is considering charging $5 a month to verified customers in the event that they wish to maintain their blue checkmarks.

Musk additionally tweeted after which deleted a hyperlink to an article with a baseless conspiracy concept about final week’s assault on Paul Pelosi, the husband of US Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in San Francisco. The article got here from a web site known as the Santa Monica Observer. Truth-checking web site Media Bias/Truth Verify famous the outlet publishes right-wing misinformation. 

Oct. 29: Twitter battles a surge in racist slurs

Twitter is attempting to fight nameless accounts that began to tweet racist slurs hours after Musk took over Twitter. 

Twitter head of security and integrity Yoel Roth tweeted that the corporate has “seen a small variety of accounts publish a ton of tweets that embody slurs and different derogatory phrases.” He added that “greater than 50,000 tweets repeatedly utilizing a specific slur got here from simply 300 accounts.”

“Backside line up entrance: Twitter’s insurance policies have not modified. Hateful conduct has no place right here. And we’re taking steps to place a cease to an organized effort to make folks assume we’ve,” he tweeted.

Oct. 28: Twitter to kind content material moderation council

Advocacy teams have raised considerations that Musk’s management over Twitter would permit extra hate speech and misinformation to floor on the platform. Musk has vowed publicly he does not need Twitter to turn into a “free-for-all hellscape” however has additionally mentioned that he is “in opposition to censorship that goes far past the legislation.”

Musk mentioned the corporate would kind a content material moderation council with “broadly various viewpoints.” The corporate will not make any main content material selections or account reinstatements earlier than the council convenes, he tweeted.

A securities submitting on Oct. 28 additionally famous that Twitter’s inventory is being delisted on the New York Inventory Change. Twitter, a publicly traded firm, grew to become a non-public one. 

Oct. 27: Musk takes over Twitter, fires executives

Musk grew to become Twitter’s new proprietor and reportedly fired key executives on the firm, together with Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s head of authorized coverage, belief and security.

Earlier within the day, Musk tweeted a letter to advertisers. The billionaire, who as soon as tweeted that he hated promoting, now posted that “promoting, when executed proper, can delight, entertain and inform you.” 

Musk met with workers all through the week, carried a sink into Twitter’s headquarters as a photograph op and adjusted his profile to “Chief Twit” earlier than information broke that the deal had been accomplished.

CNET workers contributed to this report.