Toni Dimaano Tech 10.25.2022 08:Oct AM EDT

Twitter Employees Protest Musk's Mass Layoff Plans

The employees on Twitter are spreading an open letter protesting Elon Musk's plan to cut off 75% of the workforce upon his acquisition of the company.

According to Time, Musk told prospective funders that he plans to fire most of Twitter's employees once he completes the acquisition of the company.

Twitter Staff Calls Cuts 'Reckless'

With previous claims that the Twitter workforce is bloated with a strong left-wing bias, the CEO threatens to reduce the workforce headcount from 7,500 to just 2,000.

In response, an unspecified number of Twitter staff directed a letter to the Tesla CEO, warning him that the cuts would be a reckless move for the company.

Engadget writes that the employees believe that the move hurts Twitter's ability to serve the public conversation, and also undermines the customers' trust in the platform and its services.

Additionally, Twitter's employees are adamant in their position that the threat was an act of worker intimidation and that it makes a work environment of constant harassment.

The letter also contained demands that Musk must commit to, including preserving Twitter's employee headcount if his takeover happens.

In addition, employees are asking the billionaire to uphold fair severance policies for all workers and to keep existing benefits for all employees, including those that work from home.

According to Time, the letter also emphasized its demands to not discriminate against employees based on their political beliefs, racial and gender identity, or disability and to be treated with dignity.

"We demand to be treated with dignity, and to not be treated as mere pawns in a game played by billionaires," the list of demands on the letter says.

While it is clear what Twitter's employees think about the possible mass layoff under Musk, it is, however, unclear how many signatories have supported the letter at the time of publication.

The Plan Might Have Big Effects

If Musk closes on the acquisition of Twitter on Friday, he might push through with the cut off, which may immediately make the social media platform more susceptible to hacking, The Verge says.

However, the Starlink CEO justifies his threats by saying that he is overpaying for the company, and by laying off employees, the company and himself are only getting the most out of the new ownership.

The Guardian reports that Twitter should already have anticipated the cuts in funding and infrastructure sites, including its data centers.

Musk said that as CEO, he would loosen up Twitter's content moderation policies and potentially shift to a subscriber-based model.

However, Twitter executives claim that job cuts are expected to happen nonetheless, no matter who owns the company, The Guardian reports.

Twitter has been in a legal battle with Musk regarding the acquisition of the platform since May, when he tried to walk away from a $44 billion takeover deal.

The standoff even went to court before tech industry giant made a decision to continue with the deal on its original terms, and now, the billionaire is close to securing the purchase of the company.

The purchase deadline given to the businessman by Twitter before the court intervenes again is until next Friday, by which the transaction should already be finalized, according to the presiding judge.