Elon Musk reportedly ordered company-wide layoffs throughout Twitter

Elon Musk is beginning his tenure as the head of Twitter by planning to enact a series of drastic layoffs throughout the company, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Musk, known as the man behind tech ventures such as Tesla and SpaceX, took over the social media giant following the closing of a $44 billion deal to purchase the company. He immediately fired numerous top executives within Twitter's ranks, in a sign of a changing of the guard. It appears Musk is also looking to eliminate large masses of workers, however, with the Times reporting that he wants to do so by Nov. 1 in order to avoid paying out stock grants as part of an employee compensation deal.
Twitter currently has around 7,500 employees, but the exact scale of Musk's planned layoffs has not been determined, the Times said. One source within the company's inner circle told the Times, "I was told to expect somewhere around 50 percent of people will be laid off."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The upcoming layoffs are one of a number of controversial moves the tech guru has pledged to make following his takeover of Twitter. Musk has said he wants the social media platform to become a larger bastion for "free speech," a move that has some cautioning against the potential rise of misinformation on the site.
Musk has pledged to set up a "content moderation council" to bring together "diverse views" on issues surrounding Twitter's user base.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen
The Week Recommends From exhibitions to Regency balls, these are the best ways to commemorate the author
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The pressure of South Korea's celebrity culture
In The Spotlight South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron was laid to rest on Wednesday after an apparent suicide
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Should lying in politics be a criminal offence?
Today's Big Question Welsh government considers new crime of deliberate deception by an elected official
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Penny-pinching: Elon Musk looks at the cent to cut costs
In the Spotlight Musk's DOGE claims that millions can be saved if production on pennies is slashed
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published