Twitter employees raised concerns and questions at an all-hands meeting after the company accepted Elon Musk’s offer to purchase the company.
Twitter hosted an all-hands meeting Monday afternoon, hours after the company accepted Musk’s offer to purchase the company. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and Chairman Bret Taylor tried to emphasize that the company would continue to operate as usual until the deal with Musk closes in six months.
“Between now and closing … we will continue making decisions as we’ve always had, guided by the principles we’ve had,” Agrawal told employees, according to CNN. “That doesn’t mean things won’t change, things have been changing. … I have been talking about driving positive change at the company, and I will continue doing so because it makes us better, and it makes us stronger. Once the deal closes, different decisions might be made.”
WHITE HOUSE MUM ON MUSK BUT REAFFIRMS BIDEN’S SOCIAL MEDIA CONCERNS
Agrawal also said “there are no plans for any layoffs at this point” and that the company would continue to allow employees to work remotely.
“This is indeed a period of uncertainty,” Agrawal said. “All of you have different feelings and views about this news — many of you are concerned, some of you are excited, many people here are waiting to understand how this goes and have an open mind. … If we work with each other, we will not have to worry about losing the core of what makes Twitter powerful, which is all of us working together in the interest of our customers every day.”
When asked whether former President Donald Trump would have his Twitter account reinstated, Agrawal shifted the decision to Musk and told staff that they should ask him.
The former president has repeatedly said he doesn’t plan to return to the platform, though he has expressed support for Musk purchasing the social media network.
“I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH,” Trump told Fox News on Monday. “I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it, and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on TRUTH.”
When asked about what would happen to the employees’ stock options, Agrawal said that they would convert to cash when the deal closed.
Twitter’s CEO also said that the board of directors would be disbanded after the company’s privatization. Taylor emphasized that adopting a “poison pill” approach was not meant to deter Musk but to help the board maintain control of negotiations. Agrawal also said he would remain as CEO until the deal is closed.
Agrawal expressed optimism and support for Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and its implications for the company. “The way I think about what he has said … he wants Twitter to be a powerful, positive force in the world, just like all of us.”
While Agrawal attempted to present a more positive face for the impending change, employees were less than enthused.
Several employees’ sentiments on the company Slack were “concerned and negative” after the announcement, according to Platformer. However, some private conversations with employees seemed to show a willingness to work with Musk and support for his proposed goals.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Musk’s offer to purchase Twitter for $54.20 a share was accepted on Monday by Twitter’s board of directors after two weeks of speculation and discussion.
The billionaire has expressed an interest in the company out of a desire to uphold free speech standards and has gained trust from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey in the process.
