Twitter staff SUE Musk for not giving them enough notice as he begins mass Twitter layoffs

Twitter staff have sued Elon Musk for not giving them enough notice of sweeping layoffs, that began on Friday.

As part of his plan to drive down costs since acquiring the social media company for $44 billion, the world’s richest man plans to cut around 3,700 jobs – about half of Twitter’s workforce.

But employees say the company is eliminating workers without enough notice in violation of federal and California law, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a class-action lawsuit filed in a San Francisco federal court.

The company warned staff to brace for firing notices in a memo on Thursday night. It said all employees will receive an email alert by 9am Pacific time Friday letting them know whether they still have a job at the company.

Twitter had a global workforce of some 7,500 employees at the end of 2021.

The company said its offices will be temporarily sealed and all staff badge access will be suspended in order ‘to help ensure the safety of each employee as well as Twitter systems and customer data.’

‘If you are in an office or on your way to an office, please return home,’ the memo said. ‘In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce on Friday.

‘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.’

As the layoffs began, sacked Twitter employees began posting under the ‘#OneTeam’ hashtag on the platform about their final hours at the company, expressing both sadness and their gratitude for their time working there. 

Simon Balmain, whose Twitter profile said he was a ‘former Senior Community Manager’ at the company, wrote: ‘Looks like I’m unemployed y’all. Just got remotely logged out of my work laptop and removed from Slack. #OneTeam forever. Loved you all so much. So sad it had to end this way.’

Another by the name of Miryam wrote: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.’ She wrote the message along-side a picture of her posing in front of a large blue Twitter bird mounted on a wall at the offices.

Karen Zapata, another employee, posted a picture of her laptop screen, having been locked out. ‘This gray screen could have been a meeting,’ she wrote – suggesting she was unhappy with how impersonal the sacking was.

One Twitter employee shared a selfie of her and two other colleagues in an elevator which she wrote was at Twitter’s New York City offices. ‘Last teary eyed @TwitterNYC elevator selfie,’ she wrote. The employee, named Rena, also posted that she had been ‘logged out’ of the Twitter Slack channels and her email account.

Another Twitter user who said he had been sacked was less sentimental.

‘Honestly happy to be laid off but the veil of @elonmusk is pierced,’ the user by the name of Kushal Dave wrote on the platform. ‘As messy as Twitter was pre-elon, it is a veritable clowntown of politics and toadyism and psychological abuse now. Afraid to get in my Tesla with what I learned this week.’

According to Bloomberg, the lawsuit asked the court to order Twitter to obey the ‘WARN Act’. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act aims to prevent mass layoffs without giving 60 days notice.

The lawsuit asked the court to issue an order requiring Twitter to obey the act, and restrict the company from asking employees to sign documents that could surrender their right to take part in litigation. 

Lisa Bloom, a lawyer and founder of The Bloom Firm, said ‘A layoff of 50+ employees within a 30 day period qualifies [for the WARN act].’ Addressing sacked Twitter employees, she wrote: ‘I know you didn’t get that notice.’

‘This WARN law applies to all California employers of 75+ employees, which obviously includes Twitter with its thousands of employees,’ she explained. ‘Purpose of the law is to give laid off employees time to figure out how to handle this disruption. And Elon completely ignores it.’ 

Bloomberg said the class action lawsuit was filed by Shannon Liss-Riordan, who sued Musk’s electric car company Tesla Inc. over similar claims in June, when it laid off around 10 percent of its workforce.

‘We filed this lawsuit tonight in an attempt the make sure that employees are aware that they should not sign away their rights and that they have an avenue for pursuing their rights,’ Liss-Riordan told Bloomberg. 

Twitter said its employees who are not affected by the layoffs will be notified via their work email addresses on Friday morning. Staff who have been laid off will be notified of the next steps in a message to their personal email addresses with the subject line ‘Your Role at Twitter’, the memo said.

‘Please check your email, including your spam folder,’ the memo advised. 

‘We acknowledge this is an incredibly challenging experience to go through, whether or not you are impacted. Thank you for continuing to adhere to Twitter policies that prohibit you from discussing confidential company information on social media, with the press or elsewhere.’ 

The notification of layoffs caps off a week of high-level purges by Musk, as he demanded deep cost cuts and imposed an aggressive new work ethic across the social media company.

He had already cleared out the company’s senior ranks, firing its chief executive and top finance and legal executives. Others, including those sitting atop the company’s advertising, marketing, and human resources divisions, departed throughout the past week. 

Prior to buying Twitter for $44 billion, Musk tweeted that the company under his ownership ‘will be super focused on hardcore software engineering, design, infosec & server hardware.’ 

Last week he lamented in a tweet that ‘there seem to be 10 people ‘managing’ for every one person coding.’ 

Musk wavered throughout his attempt to buy Twitter on how many positions he would eliminate, originally saying as many as 75 percent of the company’s workers (5,625) would be cut, before some reports suggested it would actually be 25 percent (1,875).

The 3,700 cuts now being touted would amount to about half the staff, and would see them follow out five high-level executives who have resigned in the past week. 

The layoffs, which were long expected, have chilled Twitter’s famously open corporate culture that has been revered by its employees.

Shortly after the email landed in Twitter employee inboxes, hundreds of people flooded the company’s Slack channels to say goodbye, two employees told Reuters. Someone invited Musk to join the channel, the sources said.

 Musk’s first week as Twitter’s owner has been marked by chaos and uncertainty. Two company-wide meetings were scheduled, only to be canceled mere hours later. 

Managers have been forbidden from calling team meetings or communicating directly with staff, one senior Twitter employee said, adding that they were being monitored.

‘It feels like we’re working among the Gestapo,’ the person said.

Musk has also directed Twitter Inc’s teams to find up to $1 billion in annual infrastructure cost savings, according to two sources familiar with the matter and an internal Slack message reviewed by Reuters.  

Even as Musk cuts costs, he faces threats to Twitter’s revenue as a growing number of companies pause their advertising on the platform over concerns about whether it will remain ‘safe’ for brands.  

‘We have currently paused paid support on Twitter and will continue to evaluate the situation,’ an Audi spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Thursday, one week after the completion of Musk’s $44 billion buyout.  

Likewise, a spokesperson for General Mills, which also makes Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and Häagen-Dazs, confirmed a pause, saying: ‘We will continue to monitor this new direction and evaluate our marketing spend.’

Carmakers appear especially worried about fair treatment under Musk, who is the CEO of rival Tesla, and last week General Motors announced it had ‘temporarily paused’ all paid advertising on Twitter. 

As well, Oreo-maker Mondelez International and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer have both paused their Twitter ad spending, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter. 

Spokespersons for Mondelez and Pfizer did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com on Thursday evening. 

Twitter has stopped responding to all press inquiries, except for the few that Musk answers by tweet. 

Musk last week promised advertisers he would keep Twitter from turning into a ‘free-for-all hellscape’ and is now scrambling to convince advertisers that he will uphold the commitment.

Some advertisers have reportedly vowed to boycott Twitter for good if former president Donald Trump is allowed to return. Musk said on Wednesday it would be several weeks before a process is in place to reinstate banned accounts. 

A media buyer at one major ad agency, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal, said the agency would meet with Musk this week to ask how the Tesla boss plans to handle misinformation on the social media platform.

The buyer also wanted to know how Musk’s pledge squared with his own actions, including one tweet over the weekend that spread a baseless conspiracy theory about the attack against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul.

Other topics include Musk’s plan to raise the cost of Twitter’s subscription service and serve ‘half as many ads,’ and who will serve as advertisers’ point of contact after a procession of senior executives, including Twitter’s ad chief, left the company since he took over.

The ad agency’s top clients are expected to join the meeting, the media buyer said.

After tweeting in 2019 about his dislike of advertising, Musk is now under pressure to avoid alienating the advertisers who contribute more than 90 percent of Twitter’s revenue. 

He is spending his first week as CEO in New York, with venture capitalist friends joining him in meetings to reassure companies that contribute more than $5 billion annually to Twitter.

Jason Calacanis, an angel investor and podcast host who is assisting Musk in his first week of ownership, tweeted on Monday that Twitter had a ‘very productive day’ of meetings with advertisers and marketers.

Another media buyer who spoke with Reuters said their agency will not meet with Musk until he articulates a direction for Twitter or provides a substantive update on how the platform will serve advertisers.

Some clients have already begun to pause ad spending on Twitter this week, said the second media buyer, who declined to name the advertisers as the source was not authorized to do so.

The buyer said some clients had already pulled out of Twitter due to the months-long chaos around the deal, and some in response to concerns about child sexual abuse material on Twitter.

IPG, an advertising holding company that represents major clients including Coca-Cola and American Express, has advised clients to pause their Twitter ads for the next week, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Even as Musk took meetings with major agencies and advertisers this week, he took to Twitter on Wednesday night with a poll asking users whether advertisers should support freedom of speech or ‘political correctness.’ 

Of more than two million votes, nearly 80 percent answered ‘freedom of speech.’

‘Those type of provocations are not helping to calm the waters,’ the media buyer said.

More marketers also took to LinkedIn to voice their concerns about Musk’s takeover of the platform.

‘Unless Elon hires new leaders committed to keeping this ‘free’ platform safe from hate speech, it’s not a platform brands can/should advertise on,’ said Allie Wassum, global director of social and integrated media for Jordan shoe brand, which is owned by Nike, in a post on Linkedin.

Wassum did not respond to a request for further comment.

In addition to cutting Twitter staff, another idea Musk has pitched is a charge for the platform’s iconic blue tick – the mark used to identify verified users – claiming the move will end the current ‘lords and peasants’ system.

The ‘badges’ could go live as soon as Monday, Bloomberg reported, with current blue check holders receiving a ‘grace period’ of multiple months before being forced to either pay or lose the badge, which is as a verification mark for high-profile users.

Musk’s touted move has been criticised by some, who say key users of the platform create the content that gives it value. Others have said previous attempts by companies to monetise something previously free have seldom been successful.

He originally suggested $20 a month for verification but appeared to lower the cost after an exchange earlier this week with horror writer Stephen King, where he offered him a discount.

The billionaire is looking to make good on his promise to make the social media platform turn a profit by introducing a charge for Twitter users wanting to keep their verification badge.

Musk suggested publishers who are ‘willing to work’ with Twitter will get a ‘paywall bypass’ and social media stars will also be getting a secondary heading like politicians. Content creators will also get rewarded through a revenue stream.

‘You get what you pay for,’ the father-of-eight tweeted on Wednesday. He also celebrated ‘being attacked by both the right and left simultaneously,’ calling it a ‘good sign.’  

But in a sign that the price might not be a done deal, Musk responded to a tweet from the author of The Shining complaining about the new charge.

‘$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me,’ wrote King, who has 6.9 million followers. ‘If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron.’

‘Doesn’t seem very free speechy to me’: AOC mocks new Twitter boss Elon Musk as she reveals her Twitter account ‘conveniently’ froze after she ‘upset him’ by calling him out over his new $8-a-month charge

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 33, called out Elon Musk, 51, for ‘selling people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually an $8/[month] subscription plan’
• Billionaire businessman replied to AOC Tuesday evening, saying: ‘Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8’
• Musk, who’s estimated to be worth $223billion, proposed on Tuesday an $8-a-month subscription free for a verification checkmark. He said the current ‘lords and peasants system’ in place at Twitter was ‘bulls**t’
• Their feud continued overnight, with Musk pointing to a $58 AOC sweater
• And she shared a screenshot of her ‘bricked’ account today, bashing Musk

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s dispute with new Twitter CEO Elon Musk continued on Thursday – after she claimed her account ‘conveniently’ stopped working after she called him out over plans to charge $8-a-month for a blue tick.

Musk, 51, had previously hit back at critics of the proposal, which could begin to be implemented as soon as Monday, saying that the current ‘lords and peasants system’ in place at Twitter was ‘bulls**t.’

The blue check mark is used by the platform to show when a user has been verified as authentic. There are around 400,000 verified users on Twitter, covering anyone from celebrities, journalists, brands and politicians – including AOC and Musk.

And the representative called out Musk again this morning – questioning his grand plans for free speech when her own account was seemingly ‘bricked’ after she spoke out yesterday. 

She wrote today: ‘Yo Elon Musk while I have your attention, why should people pay $8 just for their app to get bricked when they say something you don’t like? 

‘This is what my app has looked like ever since my tweet upset you yesterday. What’s good? Doesn’t seem very free speechy to me.’

AOC, 33, yesterday called out Musk’s new plan for verification on the app, writing: ‘One guy’s business plan for a $44 billion over-leveraged purchase is apparently to run around and individually ask people for $8.

‘Remember that next time you question yourself or your qualifications.’

Her Tweet came after Musk hit back at her criticisms, pointing to a sweatshirt on AOC’s campaign website that costs $58, in an attempt to defend the touted fee.

‘Proud of this and always will be,’ AOC said, swiping back at Musk’s tweet.

‘My workers are union, make a living wage, have full healthcare, and aren’t subject to racist treatment in their workplaces. Items are made in USA. Team AOC honors and respects working people. You should try it sometime instead of union-busting.’

She added in another post: ‘Not to mention all proceeds go to community organizing like our Homework Helpers program which gives private tutoring to kids who’ve needed learning support since COVID: Check out our shop!’ she added.

Shortly after, she claimed that her Twitter account had stopped working properly.

‘Also my twitter mentions/notifications conveniently aren’t working tonight, so I was informed via text that I seem to have gotten under a certain billionaire’s skin,’ she wrote. ‘Just a reminder that money will never but your way out of insecurity, folks.’

Others hit out at Musk by posting pictures of Tesla apparel, including sweatshirts, being sold for even more than AOC’s, while pointing out that the Congresswoman sells the clothes to raise funds for her political campaigning.

Earlier, AOC had criticized Musk for heralding his purchase of Twitter as a victory for free speech – before announcing the $8 charge.

‘Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually an $8/[month] subscription plan,’ she wrote. It was to this that the billionaire responded with the picture of the sweater.

Musk, who’s estimated to be worth $223billion, announced earlier on Tuesday that the current ‘lords and peasants system’ in place at Twitter was ‘bulls**t.’

‘Power to the people! Blue for $8/[month],’ he wrote. 

As part of his proposed plan, verified users will get ‘priority in replies, mention, and searches… ability to post long video and audio, and half as many ads.’

He also said that publishers who are ‘willing to work’ with Twitter will get a ‘paywall bypass’ and social media stars will also be getting a secondary heading like politicians. Content creators will also get rewarded through a revenue stream. 

‘You get what you pay for,’ the father-of-eight tweeted Wednesday. He also celebrated ‘being attacked by both the right and left simultaneously,’ calling it a ‘good sign’ for his proposed changes.

Musk originally suggested $20 a month for verification but appeared to lower the cost after an exchange earlier this week with horror writer Stephen King, where he offered him a discount.

The billionaire is looking to make good on his promise to make the social media platform turn a profit by introducing a charge for Twitter users wanting to keep their verification badge.

However, there are roughly 400,000 verified users on Twitter. Should all users currently with a blue tick decide to pay the $8-a-month fee, Twitter would rake in $3.2 million per month, and $38.4 million each year – which is unlikely to cover the costs incurred from Musk’s $44 billion acquisition.