Twitter is making more room by cutting down about 8 percent of its global workforce. The social media website's new CEO, Jack Dorsey, suggests that for the company to grow, it must be shrunk down first.
News about Dorsey becoming the new CEO of Twitter made rounds on the Internet on Oct. 5, but what Twitter employees didn't expect was this abrupt layoff. Dorsey sent emails to up to 336 Twitter employees, politely saying that the company is letting them go.
"So we have made an extremely tough decision: we plan to part ways with up to 336 people from across the company. We are doing this with the utmost respect for each and every person. Twitter will go to great lengths to take care of each individual by providing generous exit packages and help finding a new job," Dorsey wrote on the emails with the subject "A more focused Twitter."
He also followed up with a tweet with a hint of regret to emphasize how difficult the decision was.
Made some tough but necessary decisions that enable Twitter to move with greater focus and reinvest in our growth. https://t.co/BWd7EiGAF2
— Jack (@jack) October 13, 2015
But some of the recipients didn't get the news as Dorsey intended. Take former Twitter employee Bart Teeuwisse for example. He was going about his normal workday, but when he logged in on Twitter with his work email address, he couldn't gain access.
Please note that @twitter also called to tell personally I was laid off. Found out differently though before I could get that voice mail. — Bart Teeuwisse (@bartt) October 13, 2015
However, Twitter did inform Teeuwisse about the layoff, but it went to his voice mail, which caused him to find out about the dismissal in a harsh and confusing way.
More ex-Twitter employees are venting out their disappointment on the website that let them go, using the hashtag #Twitterlayoffs to let their voices be heard.
Before #Twitterlayoffs started, I said "Twitter's bad at recognizing internal talent. They'll lay off many great people." Sadly, I was right
— Jeff Sarnat (@Eigenvariable) October 13, 2015
Analysts say that the reason for the layoffs was because Twitter was becoming "too bloated." Over the previous two years, the social media firm increased its personnel, essentially doubling it, whereas its user base grew by less than 50 percent.
For investors, however, this came as good news to them, as Twitter shares went up shortly after the layoffs. But Twitter employees who were affected by the layoff had some good news too, as other employers such as Nest didn't hesitate to reach out.
Hey (ex) @twitter engineers! If you are looking for your next gig, we at Nest are hiring. Shoot me a PM! #Twitterlayoffs — Tomas Brennessl (@tbrennessl) October 13, 2015
Photo: Mai Le | Flickr
