After new owner Elon Musk announced the layoff of nearly half of his employees, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey apologized to those affected: “I understand that a lot of people are angry with me.”

In a message published on Twitter, the network’s co-founder expressed regret a week after the social network was taken over by billionaire Elon Musk. “I am responsible for the fact that everyone ended up in this situation: I developed the company too quickly. I’m sorry,” wrote Jack Dorsey.

“The people of Twitter, past and present, are strong and resilient. They will always find a way, no matter how difficult the moment. I understand that a lot of people are upset with me,” added Jack Dorsey.

A week after being bought by Elon Musk, Twitter began laying off half of its workforce while launching major projects and battling users, advertisers and associations worried about the transformation of the influential social network.

“Approximately 50% of staff will be affected” by the ongoing layoffs at Twitter, according to a document sent to the social network’s employees and seen by AFP.

The California-based company, which had nearly 7,500 employees at the end of October, notified thousands of people by email, explaining that the move was to “improve the health of the company.” The company also announced the temporary closure of its offices to “ensure the security of each employee and Twitter’s systems and data.”

Immediately after taking over at Twitter, Musk dissolved the board of directors and fired the CEO and other members of senior management.

Elon Musk has vowed to support free speech through what he sees as excessive content moderation policies by the social network, which has been accused of censoring conservative views, including by suspending the account of former Republican US President Donald Trump. (Photo: Dreamstime.com)