Twitter’s New Era: Musk Demands “Extremely Hardcore” Work Environment
In a significant shift following Elon Musk’s 2022 takeover of Twitter, now known as X, employees are facing unprecedented demands in what has been described as an “extremely hardcore” work environment. The social media giant’s staff are now required to justify their contributions to receive stock options, a move that has sparked controversy and concern within the tech industry.
According to reports from The Verge, Musk sent an email to staff outlining the need for employees to submit a one-page summary of their contributions to receive stock options. This comes as employees are still awaiting their annual equity refresher, which was expected in April.
The new work culture at X has led to late-night meetings and reports of employees sleeping in the office. In a late-night email, Musk presented an ultimatum to staff, demanding they work “long hours at a high intensity” or leave the company. Approximately half of the workforce chose to depart, while those who remained have experienced the demanding conditions Musk promised.
Former employees have reported being forced to sleep in the office to meet what they describe as “impossible” deadlines. Musk himself has shared images on X of engineers working late into the night, seemingly endorsing this intense work ethic. In a lighter moment, some employees have joked about monitoring their heart rates on Apple Watches during the rollout of Musk’s X paid subscription service.
Adding to the upheaval, X plans to relocate its headquarters to Texas and close its San Francisco office. However, X CEO Linda Yaccarino has stated that the company will maintain a presence in the Bay Area through a shared space with xAI in Palo Alto.
The tech industry has reacted strongly to these developments. Gergely Orosz, a former engineer at Uber and Skype, described X as “the definition of a ruthless workplace” in a post on the site. Orosz criticized the high expectations and the requirement for employees to prove they deserve market compensation.
X did not respond to a request for comment sent outside normal working hours. As the situation continues to evolve, industry observers and employees alike are watching closely to see how this new work culture will impact the company’s future and the broader tech landscape.
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