Twitter's remote work ban doesn't work well

People familiar with the matter revealed that as more and more people choose to leave Twitter's hard-core work environment, Elon Musk and other senior executives of the company Tube tried to convince employees to stay.

After Musk took over Twitter, he set a deadline for employees, requiring them to accept the new hardcore working environment before then, or they had to leave.

While he had previously said he would strictly limit remote work, he struck a softer tone in Thursday's email. To get approval, hold your supervisor accountable for making sure you're making a great contribution. Employees should have face-to-face meetings with colleagues at least once a month.

But Musk then sent a follow-up email saying,

Any manager who falsely claims that a subordinate is doing a great job or that a particular position is critical, whether working remotely or not, will be fired.

On Wednesday, Musk asked employees to formally state whether they would like to continue working for Twitter. The document also included a commitment to intensive overtime work. Employees must complete a form by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The form contains only one option: "Agree." As long as the employees who do not accept this request before the deadline can only take severance pay equivalent to 3 months' salary and then leave the company.

As the deadline loomed, Twitter began inviting key employees to meetings to pitch them on Twitter's future, people familiar with the matter said. Musk also specifically approached some managers, including a member of Twitter's trust and safety team, and commissioned them to persuade employees to stay.

Less than two weeks before Musk issued the ultimatum, he had just laid off about 50% of Twitter's workforce, or about 3,700 people. Many Twitter employees are consulting with lawyers this week about their next steps. The form contained few details on severance packages, and it was unclear whether employees would have legal protection to continue receiving stock awards or insurance.