Former Twitter employees fear the platform might only last weeks

Recent departed Twitter staff told MIT Technology Review that they are concerned that the platform may not be live for weeks. This is based on current staffing levels, mass resignations overnight and the low morale of the few remaining.

With some within Twitter estimating that 75% of those remaining plan to quit after Elon Musk sent an email informing them that they “will need to be extremely hardcore” and must click “Yes” on a Google form to remain employed, the company is likely to be sorely short of key staff in the days to come. Twitter informed its staff last night that all offices were locked and access was suspended after it became apparent how few people were willing to stay on those terms. In a tweet last night, Musk said that “the best people are staying, so I’m not super worried.”

For those who escaped the madness earlier, either through layoffs or after being fired for insubordination, it’s a troubling development. Melissa Ingle, a senior data scientist contractor, said that Musk can only push workers so far before they revolt. These people have options. They are successful in their jobs. They don’t want this .”

Ingle worry that the widespread revolt triggered by Musk’s “hardcore” ultimatum will signal the end to Twitter without any drastic changes. She says, “There’s just too much technical expertise to keep the site going.” “He is afraid of his people. I don’t see how it can last the month .”

unless major changes are made.

She’s not alone in that assessment. Musk fired a former Twitter engineer as part of a crackdown against those who had escaped his initial layoffs, but were vocal in their criticism of him. The engineer, who was allowed anonymity, said that the end could take minutes to come. Although there is a lot of resilience built into the infrastructure, big problems at this scale are not what one could expect .”

It’s not surprising that so many people have left because they are fed up with his behavior. He says, “It was an easy decision, given the way that he’s treated people.” He believes those who stay are likely to be employed for H1-B visa purposes or private insurance purposes. They are few and far between. Ingle believes that to maintain basic functionality, many more engineers will be needed .”

MIT Technology Review has previously reported how one insider thinks the company’s systems would degrade over time. Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer reported overnight that many employees who maintained Twitter’s critical infrastructure have also resigned in the last 24 hours. The fact that Twitter offices are now closed could mean it would be more difficult for staff to triage and fix any infrastructure issues that arise before the office’s planned reopening on November 21.

Musk didn’t respond to a request to comment. Twitter’s communications team has been drastically reduced due to recent layoffs.

“There will be major changes,” Ingle says. Already, Musk is reversing some of his most draconian measures. Musk has stated in an email to all staff on November 9 that “remote working is no longer allowed, except for an exception”, and now is saying that staff must meet in person at least once a month.

“He’s going to need to get more people back in who know this system, who are able to ramp up in a hurry–otherwise we’re going to start to see major outages,” says Ingle. This will leave those who recently left–or plan to leave–in a bind. Many former and current Twitter employees tell MIT Technology Review they are unhappy with the company’s current management. However, they also recognize that Twitter plays an significant role in society as a living history of our lives and has a large role.

That conflict is something Ingle is seeing in her group chats with those colleagues who currently remain. She says that people are trying to hang on to a thread. “There is a sense of loyalty, but the morale was already lower than any time in my career. People don’t feel respected. They don’t feel respected for their work. It’s hard to motivate people in such an environment .”

“Look, I’m optimistic,” Ingle says. “All signs point to a catastrophic failure of the system,” she says. “All signs point to some catastrophic failure of the system,” she says, “and very soon.”