A new report has exposed the extent of Elon Musk’s tumultuous tenure as the head of Twitter, now rebranded as X, marked by a barrage of constant demands that left staff concerned about his forgetfulness.
What Happened: During his eventful stint at the helm of Twitter, Musk’s penchant for rapid-fire decisions and frequent demands left the platform’s workforce in constant vigilance.
The frequency of his demands became so overwhelming that some employees resorted to documenting them and seeking his signature, reported The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.
See Also: Elon Musk Reportedly Did Something Unusual After Making An Offer To Buy Twitter
In instances where he was informed that a particular change would require several weeks, Musk occasionally requested expedited versions that employees could implement if they worked overnight.
In April earlier this year, Musk disclosed that Twitter’s workforce had dwindled to approximately 1,500 employees, a significant reduction from its previous count of roughly 8,000.
This downsizing resulted from a combination of layoffs and voluntary resignations.
The tech billionaire also dissolved the platform’s trust and safety council, which comprised around 100 volunteer organizations responsible for guiding the site in addressing various forms of harassment and abuse.
Why It’s Important: Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October last year. In November, he banned remote work at Twitter in his first email to the staff after buying the company and said that the platform required “intense work” in the office to turn around its fortunes.
He also told employees they must commit to “long hours at high intensity” or take severance, the report noted.
Musk eventually relinquished his Twitter CEO role in June, passing the reins to Linda Yaccarino, but his impact on the platform remained indelible.
One of Musk’s most notable changes was the “blue tick” verification system, which was replaced by a subscription service known as X Blue, formerly Twitter Blue.
He also made headlines by ordering engineers to increase the visibility of his tweets following a Super Bowl-related Twitter spat with President Joe Biden.
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