Musk walks back Twitter layoffs, Kathy Griffin suspended and more

Heading into the second full week with Elon Musk at the helm of Twitter there are a number of stories about the social media company making news Monday. 

Here’s a rundown:

Walking back layoffs

Mass layoffs at Twitter began Friday, a week after Musk bought the company.

The process of laying off half of the company’s 7,500 employees didn’t go smoothly, according to the New York Times, which reported some  Twitter workers found out they were fired when they couldn’t access their email. 

Musk blamed the cuts on “activist groups pressuring advertisers,” in a Tweet, saying in another the company was losing more than $4 million a day. 

expressed concern that any layoffs would impede Twitter’s ability to moderate content and would fuel a rise in hate speech ahead of the midterm elections. 

‘A MASSIVE DROP IN REVENUE’:Musk blames activists for Twitter’s woes amid mass layoffs

But after laying off close to 3,700 people on Friday, Bloomberg reports the company began reaching out to dozens of employees who were either fired in error or determined to be too essential to let go. 

$8-a-month subscription plan for Twitter.

But half of frequent U.S. Twitter users said they wouldn’t use the social media platform if it required a monthly subscription, according to a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll.  

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Bloomberg and others also reported the change to a subscription model will be delayed until at least Wednesday, to avoid potential chaos during the US midterm elections.

Comedian Kathy Griffin’s account suspended

Twitter suspended comedian Kathy Griffin’s account for impersonating the company’s new owner, Elon Musk.

Griffin wasn’t the only celebrity to impersonate Musk over the weekend. YouTube personality Ethan Klein and “Mad Men” actor Rich Sommer also say their Twitter accounts were suspended, according to NBC News.

A number of famous people borrowed Musk’s images and name, attempting to underscore potential flaws in the company’s revised verification system.

Comedian Sarah Silverman copied Musk’s profile picture, cover image and name and tweeted, “I am a freedom of speech absolutist and I eat doody for breakfast every day,”  She also retweeted posts supporting Democratic candidates before her account was labeled as “temporarily restricted” on Sunday. The comedian then changed her account back to her photo and name. 

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In response to the celebrity efforts, Musk tweeted Sunday, “Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended.”

He also said any name change on Twitter will “cause temporary loss of verified checkmark.”

brands dropping their deals with him. 

Musk previously tweeted that he had nothing to do with reinstating Ye’s account, because it happened before he took over the company, Fox Business reported. 

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