Musk reportedly ordered layoffs across the Twitter company

Twitter

Elon Musk ordered layoffs across the Twitter platform company on Saturday.

It is unclear how many workers will be affected by the alleged job cuts, but sources say some departments will be affected more than others.

Earlier reports indicate Musk wants to cut Twitter’s workforce by 75 percent, though he reportedly told employees otherwise when he arrived at the company’s headquarters on Wednesday.

Twitter currently has about 7,500 staff members, and as noted by the Times, some managers have been asked to come up with lists of employees who should be let go.

The layoffs could happen before Nov. 1 — the same day employees are supposed to receive their stock grants, which “typically represent a significant portion” of their pay.

Musk may not have to pay these grants if he lays off employees before that date.

Musk completed his €44.1 billion acquisition of Twitter on Friday and fired many executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal and chief policy officer Vijaya Gadde, after taking ownership of the platform.

The billionaire first offered to buy Twitter in April, and later tried to back out of the deal before changing his mind again earlier this month.

It’s not entirely clear what Musk plans to do with Twitter once things settle down within the company, but he recently stated that he wants the site to become a “digital common square where a wide range of faiths can to debate in a healthy way, without resorting to violence”.

Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” has left concerned about the future of content moderation on the platform, but says he won’t allow it to become a “free speech for all” and plans to create a content moderation council.