Tech

Some laid off Twitter employees say they're being asked to come back to Twitter after mass layoffs

Twitter announced mass layoffs on Friday.
Twitter announced mass layoffs on Friday. Getty Images
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Elon Musk's quest to lay off about half of Twitter's workforce may not be going entirely according to plan.

The company has already asked some Tweeps to return, according to posts on the Blind app and Insider sources, including one who also shared a screenshot of confirmation from a Twitter employee.

A person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named to protect others' identities, told Insider that five employees had been invited back: "These individuals are essential for Twitter's ecosystem to function. Goons quickly realized and are asking them back."

One of the sources said that a worker who Twitter asked to return rejected the offer because they felt "used, and think they will be fired again soon."

Casey Newton, a contributing editor for The Verge and the founder of the tech-and-democracy focused Platformer newsletter, tweeted late Saturday that multiple sources had told him that Twitter has contacted some former employees and asked them to return. 

 

Insider also surveyed the Blind app, a professional community where verified employees have anonymous conversations, and found posts indicating Twitter employees who the company had laid off had been asked to come back.

One user wrote: "It's true. I was asked to come back Saturday morning," while another simply said: "Can confirm."

Twitter didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

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Sam Tabahriti reports on trending business news from the London bureau. He frequently covers tech, such as Apple, Twitter, Meta, and Google as well as transportation. Sam is particularly interested in investigating tech companies.  He received his BA in Journalism from the University of Westminster.  Before joining Insider, Sam worked for BBC, The Sunday Times Magazine, talkRADIO, Metro, and more.  Reach out You can get in touch with him by email at stabahriti@jkmperu.com or stabahriti@proton.me securely. He is also available via Twitter @samtabahriti or Instagram @samtbrt. WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram available upon request.  Top stories A SpaceX technician suffered a fractured skull during a routine rocket test in January and was placed in a coma A 62-year old engineer alleges he was sidelined at SpaceX over fears that he might 'retire or die' Rich Russians offered a Caribbean shortcut to US visas by paying their way to a Grenadian passport Dozens of seized superyachts may cause significant environmental damage if governments fail to pay millions in maintenance costs, experts say Russian oligarchs have been sanctioned like Osama bin Laden was, and they're using similar tactics to avoid them, an expert said Russian oligarchs anticipated sanctions months before the war and moved money through Hawala, an informal payment system, an expert says