SAN FRANCISCO: After reports emerged that Elon Musk is planning "to cut 75 per cent of Twitter staff if he takes over", employees at the microblogging platform warned the tech billionaire that mass layoffs would be "reckless".
According to a report by TIME, as the deadline for Musk to finalise his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter approaches, an unidentified number of company employees wrote an open letter objecting to his proposal to fire up to 75 per cent of the company's workforce.
"Elon Musk's plan to lay off 75 per cent of Twitter workers will hurt Twitter's ability to serve the public conversation," the letter reads.
"A threat of this magnitude is reckless, undermines our users' and customers' trust in our platform, and is a transparent act of worker intimidation. We cannot do our work in an environment of constant harassment and threats," it added.
The letter also includes a list of demands for the "current and future leadership" of the company.
In addition to "fair severance policies for all workers", letter writers want Musk to keep existing employee benefits in place, including remote work.
The letter also suggests a potential ideological gap between some Twitter employees and Musk, who has expressed his preference for less moderation.
"We demand that leadership does not discriminate against workers on the basis of their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs," the letter said.
Job cuts are expected in the coming months no matter who owns the company, according to a recent The Washington Post, which cited interviews and documents.
The report mentioned that the layoffs will undoubtedly impact Twitter's daily operations, including its ability to moderate harmful content and combat security issues.