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Jack Dorsey says ‘I apologise’ amid mass layoffs at Twitter under Elon Musk
Jack Dorsey said he knew that many were angry with him and that he owned the responsibility for the situation everyone was in at the moment. He apologised for growing the "company too quickly".
Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and former chief executive officer, on Saturday issued an apology to those who were working at present and had been laid off since Elon Musk's takeover of the microblogging site.
Amid the mass termination of jobs at the San Francisco-based social media giant, Dorsey said he knew that many were angry with him and that he owned the responsibility for the situation everyone was in at the moment. He apologised for growing the "company too quickly".
“Folks at Twitter past and present are strong and resilient. They will always find a way no matter how difficult the moment. I realize many are angry with me. I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly. I apologize for that,” he wrote on Twitter.
He said that while he was grateful for and loved everyone who ever worked at Twitter, he did not expect the feeling to be mutual at the moment or ever.
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“I am grateful for, and love, everyone who has ever worked on Twitter. I don't expect that to be mutual in this moment...or ever…and I understand.”
Under its new owner, Twitter Inc has begun laying off a large number of employees and is expected to terminate about half of the company's workforce, according to a report by Reuters.
Earlier in the day, Musk, 51, said there was "no choice" but to reduce the workforce at a time when the company was losing millions of dollars every day.
The company posted a net loss of $270 million in the second quarter ending June 30, 2022, compared to a profit of $66 million in the same period a year ago.
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"Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day," Musk wrote on Twitter, adding, "Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required."
With hundreds of employees being handed pink slips on Friday, the company said in a letter that the staff would find out by 9am Pacific Standard Time if they had been laid off. The email did not say how many people would lose their jobs.
In India, a majority of its over 200 employees, across engineering, sales and marketing, and communications teams, have lost their jobs in India.
Soon after taking over, Musk ousted CEO Parag Agrawal, legal executive Vijaya Gadde, chief financial officer Ned Segal and general counsel Sean Edgett. He also removed the company's board of directors and installed himself as the sole board member.
(With inputs from agencies)
