Google, Meta Snapping Up Twitter Employees Ahead Of Elon Musk's Planned Takeover: Report

Hundreds of Twitter employees who left the company in months ahead of Elon Musk's takeover of the social media platform have moved to major tech companies like Google and Meta, according to a report. It is based on the analysis of LinkedIn data to see how many workers are leaving Twitter and where they go after they leave. The deadline for Mr Musk to buy Twitter is set for Friday to avoid a trial over the $44 billion contract that he admits is overpriced.

The analysis of the data has been done by research firm Punks & Pinstripes, which found that around 530 workers quit Twitter in the past three months or 90 days. It said that this is a 60 per cent increase when compared to the number of employees who left the company in the previous quarter.

The data showed that 30 per cent of these employees have been hired by Google or Meta. Others have gone to companies like Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok and Snap.

Punks & Pinstripes said that 50 employees left Twitter just this month as the odds of Mr Musk buying the company look increasingly higher.

Out of the 7,500 employees of Twitter, more than 1,100 left the company since January, when Mr Musk began acquiring stock in it, the data further showed.

"This data flips the script on the rumours that if Elon Musk takes over he will drastically reduce headcount. The reality is that Twitter's talent has options of where they can work and they are capitalising on those options," the report quotes Punks & Pinstripes CEO Greg Larkin as saying.

Earlier this year, Google and Meta announced hiring freezes, so it's unclear if the companies made exception for experienced Twitter employees. Both the tech companies have so far not reacted to these reports.