Reports indicate that business magnate Elon Musk plans to trim Twitter’s workforce by as much as 75 percent, reducing staff to roughly 2,000 people. The claim comes from a Washington Post article published this week, which cites documents detailing discussions between Musk and potential investors that could pave the way for the social network’s purchase.
The Washington Post notes that even if the deal does not advance to a formal closing, Twitter could still implement significant layoffs that bring the total to about a quarter of its roughly 7,500 employees. At this time, other major outlets have not independently corroborated these plans. Musk has not commented on the matter on his Twitter account.
The newspaper warns that such disruptions might hinder the platform’s ability to curb harmful or abusive content, including child exploitation materials, and to maintain strong content security. Citing the documents referenced by the Post and testimonies from additional sources, the outages would impact not only staff but also the data centers and infrastructure that support daily operations for more than 200 million users. Those cuts, the report continues, help explain Twitter’s caution as it pursues a $44 billion sale to Musk, a deal that could leave current managers to shoulder the most painful choices until a new leadership team takes over.
An expert in data science interviewed by the Post noted that if the layoffs are confirmed, effects would be gradual: services could deteriorate, support staffing would shrink, and morale among remaining personnel would likely remain uncertain for months. Amid Musk’s fluctuating stance on the matter, the outcome of the negotiation remains unresolved. If no new developments emerge, the anticipated closing date for the acquisition would be October 28, at which point Musk would become the sole owner of the platform and pursue his stated objectives for the network.