It is indeed the end of an era for Twitter employees. Judging the operating costs of the platform too high, Elon Musk decided to save money to ensure the long-term financial viability of the blue bird. As stated this week Business Insiderthe management of Twitter sent an e-mail to all employees of the group on Monday, telling them that from now on, meals served in the canteen will be paid for, whereas they were previously free.
“We are facing a difficult economic climate where greater attention to cost management is essential,” it writes. “The future of Twitter is very bright if we can work together to be wise stewards of corporate resources,” said the email seen by the American media.
As a result of this new austerity policy, Twitter will no longer pay for a number of employee benefits, such as the maximum amount allocated to business travel. Another major change, meals in the canteen will now be chargeable, a measure that angered Tracy Hawkins, who was in charge of Twitter’s food program before resigning following the arrival of Elon Musk.
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A duel of numbers
According to the ex-leader, the meals served in the canteen represent a cost of 20 to 25 dollars per employee for Twitter while Elon Musk advances a figure of 400 dollars per meal. According to the billionaire, Twitter’s food budget exceeds $13 million a year.
This is a lie. I ran this program up until a week ago when I resigned because I didn’t want to work for @elonmusk For breakfast & lunch we spent $20-$25 a day per person. This enabled employees to work through lunchtime & mtgs. Attendance was anything from 20-50% in the offices. https://t.co/0OjbeComka
— Tracy Hawkins 🫡💙 (@_hawko) November 13, 2022
According to the New York Times, the quality of the menus offered has also been reduced. Thus, the grilled prawns, much appreciated by the employees, have been replaced by a dish of macaroni and cheese and a mixed salad.
This news comes weeks after Twitter parted ways with half of its workforce. The cost-cutting policy combined with Elon Musk’s attempt to impose an “extremely hard” work culture within the platform worries many observers who fear it will precipitate the company to its medium-term downfall.
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