Editor’s Note: WRAL TechWire has previously reported that Twitter layoffs might begin as soon as this weekend. Now, an internal email obtained by CNN shows that layoffs could begin today. This is the latest in what’s happening at Twitter, covered by WRAL TechWire.
By Donie O’Sullivan, CNN Business
Elon Musk will begin laying off Twitter employees on Friday morning, according to a memo sent to staff, as several Twitter employees file a class action lawsuit alleging the layoffs are in violation of labor law.
The email sent Thursday evening notified employees that they will receive a notice by 12 pm ET Friday that informs them of their employment status.
“If your employment is not impacted, you will receive a notification via your Twitter email,” a copy of the email obtained by CNN said. “If your employment is impacted, you will receive a notification with next steps via your personal email.”
The email added that “to help ensure the safety” of employees and Twitter’s systems, the company’s offices “will be temporarily closed and all badge access will be suspended.”
The email concluded acknowledging that it will be “an incredibly challenging experience to go through” for the workforce.
The memo comes after news reports that Musk had planned to lay off up to half of the company’s staff after acquiring it last week for $44 billion.
First, Twitter layoffs; now, a class action lawsuit
The class action lawsuit filed Thursday alleges Twitter is in violation of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) after laying off some employees already.
The WARN Act requires that an employer with more than 100 employees must provide 60 days’ advanced written notice prior to a mass layoff “affecting 50 or more employees at a single site of employment.”
“Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, has made clear that he believes complying with federal labor laws is ‘trivial,’” Attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, who filed the lawsuit, said in a statement to CNN. “We have filed this federal complaint to ensure that Twitter be held accountable to our laws and to prevent Twitter employees from unknowingly signing away their rights.”
Twitter had around 7,500 employees prior to Musk’s takeover.
Musk started his tenure at Twitter by firing CEO Parag Agrawal and two other executives, according to two people familiar with the decision.
And in less than a week since Musk acquired the company, its C-suite appears to have almost entirely cleared out, through a mix of firings and resignations. Musk has also dissolved Twitter’s former board of directors.
– Clare Duffy and Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report
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