Amid reports that numerous Twitter employees quit the company on Thursday, new owner Elon Musk wrote the social media firm has seen all-time high in traffic.
Anonymously sourced reports said that a new batch of Twitter employees quit the company, prompting widespread speculation on the platform that it would shut down and fail on Thursday. As of Friday, Twitter was still online, although
DownDetector.com showed that some Twitter users were reporting problems with the website on Thursday night.
“And … we just hit another all-time high in Twitter usage lol,”
Musk wrote on Thursday night. “Let that sink in.”
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also
suggested that he was not worried about resignations because “the best people are staying.” Later, he
wrote: “Record numbers of users are logging in to see if Twitter is dead, ironically making it more alive than ever!”
Musk did not publicly address claims that Twitter workers quit en masse on Thursday. It was prompted by a reported ultimatum from Musk to work “extremely hardcore” or quit the firm.
Musk’s email asked workers to click “yes” if they wanted to stay around. But those who did not respond by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday would be considered to have quit and were given a severance package, the email said, according to Reuters. The Epoch Times has contacted Twitter for comment on the reports.
Those reports prompted speculation from mainstream media outlets that the social media site will be permanently shut down as some journalists
alleged that the company temporarily closed its office and suspended badge access to workers.
Over 110 Twitter employees across several nations announced their decision to leave in public Twitter posts, according to a
Reuters report. However, those resignations could not be independently verified by Reuters. Some 15 employees, many in advertisement sales, posted their intention to stay at the company.
Some prominent users, including celebrities, also claimed the site would implode and would force them to migrate to a different social media platform.
“How to download your tweets in case Twitter shuts down permanently,” blared a headline from the
Washington Post on Friday morning. And the BBC
asked: “Is this really the end of Twitter?”
“Shout out to all the workers at Twitter. You all built a vital place for connection and deserved so much better,”
wrote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a self-described socialist who relies heavily on Twitter to promote herself and policies. “Millions of people appreciate the space you built and the hard work that went into it. Thank you.”
