Twitter, off late, has been a prime source of headlines out of the tech industry. Earlier, Twitterati used to go crazy when Elon Musk tweeted. Now, it’s the same thing, only crazier since he owns all of Twitter. On Wednesday, the new chief of Twitter, Elon Musk, emailed his staff for the first time. He urged his team to prepare for “difficult times ahead” and banned remote work for everyone unless he approved personally.

All social media and tech giants are bracing for an economic downturn. Twitter, like other social media platforms, depends on advertising for revenue. Most companies have already sacked employees, with Twitter firing 50% of its employees and most of its top executives. Musk was already pushing the remaining staff to work harder to meet deadlines for launching new features. Chief Twit has spoken, commanding his troops to work from the premises for at least 40 hours a week.

“The road ahead is arduous and will require intense work to succeed,”

No one has ever accused Musk of walking the conventional path. In a time when companies are adapting to remote work and choosing a hybrid model, Musk is playing a game of his own. In the two weeks since he took charge, Twitter has launched an $8 subscription, banned impersonating accounts, fired half its staff and now has undone the work-from-anywhere arrangements prevalent before Musk’s regime.

We can’t say that we didn’t know such a thing would happen. When the deal for the Twitter Takeover was ongoing, Musk had stated that he was against remote work. He said he would only approve work from home on a case-by-case basis. It would be fair to say that Musk is not a fan of Twitter’s existing work culture. He’s just living up to his promise.

Earlier, Twitter employees had a companywide day off every month. Musk has eliminated these “rest days” initiated during the pandemic. Following the launch of Twitter Blue, the platform has been inundated with fake accounts and misinformation. Musk wants his staff to prioritize finding and suspending bots, trolls and spammers over the coming few days.

“Over the next few days, the absolute top priority is finding and suspending any verified bots/trolls/spam.”

There is much confusion going on on Twitter. The situation has been chaotic since Twitter Blue launched. Many blue tick accounts have propped up impersonating public figures. Musk is battling fake accounts that have acquired the legacy blue tick. Twitter rolled out a grey tick to identify official accounts which had been verified before the launch of Twitter Blue. The grey mark was rolled back but is set to return on the platform.

Just like the first hundred days of a new US President are full of intrigue, Musk’s first two weeks have been a roller coaster for all who are paying close attention. No one knows what the future holds for Twitter. One can only hope that Musk can contain the situation before it becomes a dumpster fire. The work culture at Twitter will undergo a significant overhaul under Musk’s leadership. Many people are still leaving the company. We only wonder what Twitter will look like when the storm passes and the dust settles.

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