SAN FRANCISCO – Twitter faces a mass exodus of fickle CEOs and advertisers Elon Musk and his advisors Take control of a social media companyPrepare to lay off employees and make changes to the product.
At least five of Twitter’s top executives — including chief marketing officer, chief customer officer, chief people and diversity, and chief product — have left the company in recent days, according to seven people familiar with the topic and audience. formulations. Two announced their departures via Twitter on Tuesday; They did not mention the reason for their resignation. People said more CEOs might be leaving.
At the same time, advertisers – who provide about 90 percent of Twitter’s revenue – are increasingly wrestling with Mr. Musk’s ownership of the platform. The billionaire, who is meeting with advertising executives in New York this week, has alarmed some advertisers as he said he will relax Twitter’s content rules, which could lead to an increase in misinformation and other toxic content.
IPG, one of the world’s largest advertising companies, on Monday issued a recommendation through its media agencies for clients to pause their Twitter spending due to moderation concerns, three people familiar with the contact said. The Global Alliance for Responsible Media, an alliance of platforms, advertisers and industry groups that fight harmful content on social media, also said this week that it was monitoring how Twitter plans to handle content moderation.
Twitter has been in disarray as it adjusts to the new reality under Mr. musk from Close the $44 billion acquisition deal company last week. the master. Musk promptly fired Twitter’s CEO, CFO and others before quickly moving to install trusted confidants and engineers from his other companies in the social media company.
Since then, Mr. Musk and his advisors were working on product changes and Big cuts in Twitter ratings and profile. Managers at Twitter, which has about 7,500 employees, said they are ending lists of high and low performing workers, likely with an eye on layoffs. While many employees have already been laid off, the timing and scope of mass layoffs remain flexible.
On Tuesday, Mr. Musk announced on Twitter that users will start paying $8 per month for Twitter Blue, which will verify users with a checkmark. He said subscribers will see fewer ads, be able to share long videos, and bypass paywalls at news organizations that collaborate with Twitter.
Elon Musk’s Twitter Acquisition
Fantastic deal. In April, Elon Musk made a $44 billion unwanted bid to the social media platform, saying he wanted to turn Twitter into a private business and allow people to speak more freely on the service. Here’s how the months-long battle ended:
“Power to the people!” he is chirp.
A Twitter spokeswoman declined to comment. the master. Musk did not respond to a request for comment. IPG did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Previously a reporter for the tech and finance newsletter Morning Brew chirp IPG Recommendation.
Among the executives who have left Twitter in recent days is Leslie Berland, Director of Marketing; Jay Sullivan, Chief Product Officer; Sarah Personnet, chief customer officer, who managed the company’s relationships with advertisers; Dalana Brand, President, People & Diversity; and Nick Caldwell, CEO responsible for core technologies such as infrastructure. Their exits leave Twitter with the few leaders they had before mr. Musk closed the deal for the company on Thursday.
Ms. Personnet met mr. Musk said last week to discuss Twitter’s ad partnerships, in a tweet. after, after their meeting, the master. Musk published an open letter to advertisers, saying that Twitter would not become a “free place for everyone.” He also said that Twitter would set up a board to advise on content moderation.
In a tweet about her departure, Ms. Personnet said she believed Mr. Musk’s team understands the “importance of adhering to the standards” established by the Global Alliance for Responsible Media.
Alliance Wrote in a blog post On Monday, he said he was monitoring how Twitter plans to set up a panel to review content moderation. She will share her assessments with members in the advertising industry. Twitter has been part of the alliance since the group was created in 2019.
“Brand integrity is non-negotiable for advertisers,” the group wrote.
IPG’s recommendation to pause spending on Twitter followed an announcement from General motorswhich said last week it had temporarily suspended its ads on Twitter. GM is a competitor to Mr. Misk Electric Vehicle Company, Tesla.
IPG, a holding company with several agencies that handle advertising spending, has clients such as American Express, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Mattel and Spotify. Its Mediabrands division manages nearly $40 billion in marketing investments globally.
Understanding Elon Musk’s Twitter Acquisition
Katie Clumber, CEO of Black Glass, a consultancy owned by IPG, said the company surveyed many of its clients, including Walmart, Pepsi and Cadillac. Most of them said they were planning to pause their Twitter spending until they had more confidence and clarity in the direction of the platform, she said.
“They just chose to opt out of the drama,” she said. “They are actively watching this event, watching Elon and his comments every hour, saying, ‘Let me see how it all goes before I decide to attach my brand and my business to this.'”
More than 40 civil rights groups also Send an open letter 20 top advertisers on Twitter on Tuesday, urging them to suspend their Twitter ads if Mr. Musk is ditching guarantees of moderation in the platform’s content. The letter, organized by groups like Free Press and Media Matters for America and signed by organizations like GLAAD and NAACP, was sent to top executives at companies like Amazon, CBS, Coca-Cola, Disney, Mondelez and Procter & Gamble..
“If Elon Musk follows through with a fraction of what he’s already committed to, Twitter is not and cannot be a safe platform for brands,” the groups wrote. “Urgent action is required by advertisers.”
Ms. Brand, who has overseen Twitter’s HR and diversity initiatives, said she did quit too Friday. the master. Caldwell hinted at his departure by updating his Twitter profile as a “former” Twitter CEO. Four people familiar with the matter confirmed that he and Mr. Sullivan left the company.
Ms. Three people familiar with the matter said Berland left Twitter on Tuesday. she Tweet blue heart emojiin an apparent reference to the Twitter brand’s color.
Ms. Personnet, A.; Berland, A.; brand, mr. sullivan and mr. Caldwell did not respond to requests for comment.
Mike Isaac Contribute to the preparation of reports.
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