Elon Musk lays groundwork for lay-offs at Twitter, asking managers to draw up lists: reports

The billionaire entrepreneur, who completed his US$44 billion acquisition on Thursday, has asked managers to draw up lists of team members who could be let go, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The person asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

Headcount reduction could commence as early as Saturday, The New York Times reported earlier. A representative of San Francisco-based Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Concerns over massive lay-offs swirled in the run-up to Musk’s take-private transaction, when potential investors were told that he would eliminate 75 per cent of the workforce, currently near 7,500. Musk later denied that the cuts would be that deep, though he has not elaborated on the job cut plans.

The reductions could be closer to 50 per cent of the workforce, The Washington Post reported on Saturday. One of the first to be affected is likely to be legal, trust and safety, the organisation that oversees content moderation, the newspaper said.

Musk has already axed much of Twitter’s leadership team, including its chief executive officer, finance chief and two senior legal staffers. He plans to be CEO himself in the immediate term, according to people familiar with the matter.

In recent weeks, Musk has hinted at his staffing priorities, saying he wants to focus on the core product.