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☆ Twitter exec who took court action over Elon Musk's 'hardcore' stay-or-go ultimatum has now left the company, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Twitter executive who took court action over Elon Musk's "hardcore" deadline has left the company. Sinead McSweeney, who was Twitter's public policy VP, left her role on Thursday, Reuters reported. The latest Twitter layoffs, which began on Wednesday, affected half of Twitter's public policy team, according to messages seen by Insider's Kali Hays. In November, McSweeney secured a temporary injunction from an Irish court to keep her job after she failed to respond to Elon Musk's "hardcore" ultimatum. Earlier this month Twitter told an Irish court it had reinstated McSweeney as public policy VP.

☆ Elon Musk is still cutting costs at Twitter, killing features and conducting layoffs as he tries to draw new investment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Efforts to cut costs are ongoing, resulting in some Twitter features shutting down. Elon Musk is still very much in charge of Twitter and continues to drastically cut costs as he searches for new outside investment. Meanwhile, he's begun in earnest to solicit new funding from previous investors in his Twitter takeover. It was run mainly by Twitter's Curation team, which was almost entirely let go during Musk's first round of layoffs. Cost is top of mind in conversations that come up with Musk on any Twitter feature, the two people familiar said.

☆ Tesla investors plead with Elon Musk to leave Twitter and refocus on the electric car company in 'a vote of no confidence in Elon'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some high profile investors agreed Tesla's stock is down because Musk is distracted with Twitter. Musk is trying to get new investment for the platform, and just sold $3.6 billion in Tesla stock. "We all know why Tesla stock is down and it has nothing to do with the company," Gerber said. Both Gerber and Black suggested that Musk is selling Tesla stock to invest in Twitter, a company that Black noted "makes no money and probably never will." That should make a long-term stock investment like Tesla more intriguing to investors.

☆ Elon Musk said Twitter is like a crashing plane with its 'engines on fire' in a discussion of the platform's financial issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said Twitter is like "a plane headed towards the ground" in a Twitter Space on Tuesday. He explained that he had cut costs because Twitter had a predicted negative cash flow of $3 billion next year. The company, Musk said, is set to make around $3 billion in revenue in 2023, with net cash outflows of around $6.5 billion. That debt has annual servicing costs of around $1.5 billion, Musk said. During the Twitter Space, Musk also spoke about his meetings with advertisers, explaining that they asked "hard questions" about their return on investment because of the declining macroeconomic situation.

Elon Musk announced that he would step down as the CEO of Twitter. "Should I step down as head of Twitter?," Musk tweeted on Sunday afternoon. The search was already ongoing before Musk's poll on whether he would step down, CNBC reported, citing unnamed sources. Musk's search for a new Twitter CEO comes amid criticisms and concerns from Tesla shareholders and analysts that he is spreading himself too thin. Musk is also the CEO of Tesla, which share price has fallen 61% this year so far.

☆ In scathing exit memo, Meta VR expert John Carmack derides the company's bureaucracy: 'I have never been able to kill stupid things before they cause damage.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

John Carmack, the consulting CTO for Meta's virtual-reality efforts, announced his exit in an internal memo. Carmack joined Oculus in 2013 before Facebook acquired it, and moved to a new consulting role at Oculus in 2019. John Carmack, the consulting CTO for Meta's virtual-reality efforts, announced plans to leave the company Friday in an internal memo viewed by Insider. The scathing note, posted to the company's internal Workplace forum, openly criticized Meta's AR and VR work, core to its metaverse ambitions. "We have a ridiculous amount of people and resources, but we constantly self-sabotage and squander effort," Carmack wrote in the memo.

☆ John Carmack, the consulting CTO for Meta's virtual-reality efforts, is leaving. 'I wearied of the fight'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Carmack joined Oculus in 2013 as CTO, prior to its acquisition by Facebook. John Carmack, the consulting CTO for Meta's virtual-reality efforts, is leaving, according to two people familiar with the company. Overall, Carmack said he simply "wearied of the fight" with Meta, formerly known as Facebook, which acquired Oculus in 2014. Despite being one of the best known and more popular VR headsets on the market, Meta changed the name of the brand last year to Meta Quest. During Meta's developer conference in October, Carmack hosted a solo hour-long talk about the company's Oculus or Quest headset.

☆ Elon Musk's private jet is no longer appearing on a widely followed public tracking system
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk may have taken an additional step to keep his private jet travels away from public view. On Thursday, Musk's jet showed up on the public tracking system with a note that it is part of the LADD system. The cities where Musk's private jet lands has for years been openly accessible for public viewing through sites that receive and track flight data that is mandated to be transmitted by the FAA. Earlier this week, Musk suspended a Twitter account of a 20-year old student, Jack Sweeney, who created a tool that automatically posted flights the billionaire took on his jet. Musk also suspended Sweeney's personal Twitter account and is now threatening "legal action" against him.

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter refusing to cover work expenses of some former employees, citing newly enacted policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

After being laid off, fired or resigning, some former Twitter employees now fear they will never be reimbursed by Elon Musk for once-covered work expenses. In recent weeks, a number of former Twitter employees have received boilerplate rejection emails for expenses, three people familiar with the company told Insider. Former employees with rejected expenses are being told by email the expenses fall outside of a new policy enacted about three weeks ago by Twitter HR under Musk, as Insider reported. Other former employees are having trouble being reimbursed for expenses related to costs of fertility treatments and adoption. Twitter did not mention Carrot or fertility benefits explicitly in the November email regarding the new expense policy.

☆ Elon Musk enlists more than 6 lawyers from SpaceX to bolster Twitter's depleted legal department, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has brought in more than six SpaceX lawyers to work at Twitter, the NYT reports. After Musk acquired the platform in late October, thousands of Twitter employees were laid off, fired, or resigned from their jobs. More than six SpaceX lawyers were authorized to access Twitter's internal systems, per The Times, citing documents and two people familiar with the matter. SpaceX, Twitter, and Cardaci didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The SpaceX lawyers aren't the only workers at a Musk-led company reportedly being brought into Twitter.

☆ Even Elon and Zuck don't have the juice to make an all-in-one 'super app' happen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Mark Zuckerberg and Evan Spiegel harbor super app ambitions; Microsoft reportedly wants to build its take on a super app that would rival Google. At Facebook's parent company Meta, "super app" is a taboo word precisely because it's too abstract, Insider's Kali Hays reported last month. A newcomer super app has a tougher sell accessing this sophisticated, less trusting type of user. Silicon Valley's gatekeepers stand in the way of the super app dreamUS tech firms harboring super app ambitions will need to fend off their own regulators, overseas regulators, and Apple's App Store. As the CPP Investments white paper notes, super apps "can be thought of as operating platforms for mobile devices."

☆ Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi got access to Twitter's internal systems like Slack as Elon Musk continues his 'Twitter Files' campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk gave newsletter writer Matt Taibbi access to internal company tools. Taibbi is part of Musk's release of internal content moderation decisions dubbed "Twitter Files." Conservative commentator Bari Weiss was previously given access to company systems. Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi now has access to internal Twitter systems amid CEO Elon Musk's continued release of the "Twitter Files," or internal information about the company's past content moderation decisions. Last weekend, Taibbi was the first to begin tweeting about what Musk dubbed the "Twitter Files."

☆ Elon Musk has authorized at least 17 senior execs from Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company to work at Twitter, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

At least 17 Tesla, SpaceX, and Boring execs have been authorized to work at Twitter, CNBC reports. At least 11 senior Tesla executives have been authorized to work at Twitter, including Silvio Brugada, director of software engineering, and RJ Sekator, Autopilot project manager, CNBC reported. Musk also gave the green light for at least three senior SpaceX executives and a further three from The Boring Company to work at Twitter, CNBC said. Twitter, Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, and the executives named in this report didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment, made outside normal US operating hours. In October, CNBC reported that Musk was bringing in 50 Tesla engineers to work at Twitter, including five senior leaders.

☆ Elon Musk posts pictures of his 2-year-old son, X, visiting Twitter HQ — including one with his own employee badge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk posted a photo of his son "X" near Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco. Musk posted the photo, following reports of workers sleeping in Twitter's office. It's not the first time that Musk has brought X to Twitter's office. Grimes previously told Vanity Fair that Musk sees X as a "protégé" and often brings him along to work events. In the past, Musk's son has tagged along to award ceremonies and major presentations.

☆ Meta wants managers to rank twice as many employees in its lowest performance-review categories
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The range includes layoffs and "non-regrettable" exits by staff who managers aren't sad to see go. The higher range includes already laid-off employees and "non-regrettable attrition," a term for staff considered not critical to operations who managers would not be sad to see leave. NRA, as it's also known inside Meta, includes people who quit of their own accord and those who are let go after being deemed underperformers. "Unregretted attrition" includes employees Amazon considers low-performing who are often pressured out via notorious performance-management programs. Shortly after the recent layoffs, Meta revealed it was looking to shrink its office footprint and would continue its current hiring freeze well into 2023.

☆ Elon Musk has hired two of his cousins to work at Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk hired two cousins to work at Twitter, two people familiar with the matter told Insider. Elon Musk took over Twitter in late October and has since laid off thousands of staff. His cousins James Musk and Andrew Musk – sons of the billionaire's uncle on his father's side – now appear to be full-time Twitter employees. Andrew Musk works on software-engineering projects, while James Musk is more of as "a fixer type," helping Elon Musk on various tasks, one insider said. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in late October, about 70% of the 7,500-strong workforce staff have been laid off, fired or resigned.

☆ Elon Musk keeps bringing in new people to Twitter, like 'enthusiastic' interns, cousins, and even Bari Weiss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Elon Musk has made some dramatic changes to Twitter since taking over five weeks ago. Roughly 150 people are still working at Twitter at Musk's behest from his other companies and ventures, according to two people familiar with the company. Musk's hires at TwitterTwo of Musk's cousins, James and Andrew Musk, appear to now be acting as full-time Twitter employees, both of the people familiar said. Weiss was in the San Francisco office that evening, speaking and "laughing with" Musk, two employees said. Now, Weiss has been given access to Twitter's employee systems, added to its Slack, and given a company laptop, two people familiar with her presence said.

☆ Elon Musk keeps bringing in new people to Twitter, like enthusiastic interns, cousins, and even Bari Weiss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Elon Musk has made some dramatic changes to Twitter since taking over five weeks ago. Roughly 150 people are still working at Twitter at Musk's behest from his other companies and ventures, according to two people familiar with the company. Musk's hires at TwitterTwo of Musk's cousins, James and Andrew Musk, appear to now be acting as full-time Twitter employees, both of the people familiar said. Both men work daily at Twitter offices, with Andrew Musk working on software-engineering projects and James Musk seen more as "a fixer type," one of the people said, helping Musk out with various needs and tasks. Weiss was in the San Francisco office that evening, speaking and "laughing with" Musk, two employees said.

☆ Hundreds of people are applying for a chance to work at Elon Musk's 'hardcore' Twitter 2.0 — even after the billionaire laid off half the company's workforce
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hundreds of people have applied to Twitter job postings on LinkedIn. Musk laid off about 50% of Twitter's workforce in November and has asked remaining staff to work "hardcore." Just last month, Elon Musk laid off thousands — about half of the company's workforce — and over 2,000 more employees quit. The new job postings come only a few weeks after thousands of employees left the company. Twitter employees might also be able to benefit from stock in the company.

☆ An ex-senior Twitter employee laid off by Elon Musk says the way job cuts were executed was 'inhumane'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's handling of Twitter's layoffs was "inhumane," an ex-Twitter worker said, per the LA Times. Some Twitter staff found out they'd been laid off when they were locked out of work laptops. Since losing his job, Shevat has filed arbitration claims against Elon Musk with the help of attorney Lisa Bloom, per the LA Times. "The way Elon Musk executed the layoffs was really inhumane," Shevat said in the conference, cited by the LA Times. Thousands of Twitter employees have been laid off, resigned, or fired since Musk took over.

☆ Elon Musk defends installing bedrooms at Twitter HQ, saying he's merely 'providing beds for tired employees'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has defended his decision to install bedrooms in Twitter's San Francisco HQ. Musk said he's simply "providing beds for tired employees." San Francisco has reportedly launched an investigation into the installation of the bedrooms. Twitter employees on Monday discovered some offices and conference rooms at Twitter HQ had bare mattresses and curtains inside, two anonymous people with knowledge of the matter told Forbes. Representatives for Twitter and the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment, made outside normal working hours.

Insider is keeping tabs on which creator economy companies are cutting back on staff. For more than a year, the creator economy was a red-hot industry flowing with new players, big deals, and massive investments. According to Crunchbase, funding for VC-backed creator economy startups topped $939 million in 2021. Those sunny days are coming to a halt, however, as creator economy startups grapple with a looming recession. Here are 24 creator economy companies that have laid off staff, as of December 2022:Note: Companies are listed in order of when layoffs occurred, with the most recent first.

☆ Elon Musk's business confidants are sleeping in new bedrooms at Twitter HQ that have been converted from unused offices. Musk is having one made for him.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter HQ in San Francisco now has dozens of bedrooms that have been converted from unused offices. The change is an effort by Elon Musk to save costs when people come to work from out of town. Bedrooms complete with private showers and TV have arrived at Twitter HQ as Elon Musk continues to look for ways to reduce expenses. Dozens of unused offices in the San Francisco building have been turned into bedrooms over the last several days, two people familiar with the changes said. The billionaire has mentioned in emails and in all-hands meetings with Twitter employees that the company is in a "challenging" financial position.

☆ Twitter's former C-suite received $200 million in combined stock payouts after Elon Musk fired them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CEO Elon Musk quickly fired Twitter executives upon taking over the company in October. The Twitter executives who were immediately fired when Elon Musk took over the company walked away with much larger bank accounts. He walked away from Twitter with a total of $63 million in converted stock. Gadde held just over 1 million shares in common stock when she was fired, having worked there for more than 11 years, which converted to $59.5 million. Gadde walked away from Twitter with the most money, seeing all of her converted stock total $72 million.

☆ Elon Musk urges Twitter employees to submit new ideas for the platform, saying some have already been implement in less than 5 minutes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk told Twitter employees that in the weeks since he took over the platform, "hundreds" of ideas have been suggested with some being implemented almost immediately. Musk solicited even more ideas from Twitter employees in a Friday afternoon email seen by Insider. He asked for ideas on how to improve Twitter as a product, and also for ideas on how to "increase revenue, and decrease costs." Since taking over Twitter at the end of October, the email said many such ideas from employees have already been implemented, without specifying what exactly had changed. At anytime, please submit an idea at: [link to Google form]No Bad ideas, so please be super-empowered to submit anything on your mind which could be great.

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