(Bloomberg) -- When news first broke Tuesday morning that Elon Musk was again interested in acquiring Twitter Inc. for $44 billion, most employees of the social network were sitting through an hourslong 2023 strategy presentation.Presenters from internal groups like the product and revenue teams didn't officially discuss the development, or even acknowledge that Musk was back on board. They didn't need to — employees were following along with the news on their Twitter feeds, closely watching the latest twist in the saga that has cast a shadow over their professional lives since April, when the billionaire Tesla Inc. chief executive officer first agreed to purchase the social network for $54.20 a share.
Somebody's tired of getting embarrassed in court,” wrote a former worker.
That question is on the minds of a lot of Twitter staffers now that it's more likely that Musk will buy the company. For the past three months, Musk has been trying to walk away from his agreement, disparaging Twitter and its executives and creating confusion and instability at the San Francisco-based company as the two sides fought an expensive legal battle. While Twitter's board understandably supports a sale at $54.20 a share, many workers have dreaded the prospect.
They have taken issue with everything from his politics (he voted in Texas for a far-right Republican for Congress this year) to his personal life (he was accused of sexual harassment in May) to his views on remote work (not a fan). Some employees in the past have mocked him ruthlessly on internal Slack channels, and even made subtle jabs at their would-be-boss via public tweets. One employee posted on Slack in May that Musk If the newest development holds and Musk does actually take over, it remains to be seen how
Musk quickly snapped back. “What did you get done this week?” he challenged, before adding, “I'm not joining the board. This is a waste of time.” He then vowed to take Twitter private.
If workers choose to quit or are forced to leave Twitter, their options for other jobs at large technology companies may be limited, as several other major employers have announced hiring freezes and cost cuts of their own.Though many Twitter employees have bemoaned a lack of communication from management during the ups and downs of the legal battle over the deal, the company did reach out to workers on Tuesday to acknowledge Musk's new stance. In an internal memo to Twitter staff, viewed by Bloomberg News, General Counsel Sean Edgett thanked staffers for their patience, while pledging, “I will continue to keep you posted on significant updates.”
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