After purchasing it Elon Musk last week, Twitter closes its offices today, Friday, in view of the massive layoffs it plans, which could divide staff.

“To ensure the safety of every employee and Twitter’s systems and data, our offices will be temporarily closed and card access will be suspended,” the California-based company said in an internal email.

The text states that employees will be notified by email of the liquidation of their position. The exact number of layoffs is not specified.

According to the Washington Post, Musk plans to lay off about 50% of the company’s 7,500 employees. After taking office, he dissolved the board and fired the CEO and other senior executives.

To finance the $44 billion takeover, the multi-billionaire went into debt at a company that was already financially fragile as it ran large deficits in the first two quarters of the year. He also entered into $13 billion in loan agreements that Twitter would have to repay, not himself.

One of the key ideas he’s promoting to boost revenue is an $8/month subscription for users who want to verify their account, not see a lot of ads, and enjoy various other benefits. This plan is getting a lot of backlash, especially among users who already had a “certified” account.

Musk is also facing distrust from advertisers and fears that control over the platform’s content could be loosened. Many conglomerates have already decided to suspend their Twitter ad spending, such as US agri-food company General Mills and car makers General Motors and Volkswagen.

Source: APE/MEB