Billionaire Elon Musk reported fired one of Twitter's "two remaining principal engineers" for explaining why Musk's reach on the platform had dropped significantly since last April, when he first announced his intention to purchase Twitter.
According to a story published on Platformer—a website that specializes in tech industry news—the employee was fired after Musk asked Twitter's remaining top engineers why his own engagement appeared to have declined since he became owner despite having a follower count of 128 million.
Platformer cited multiple sources with direct knowledge of the meeting who said Musk called it "ridiculous" that he has "more than 100 million followers, and [he's] only getting tens of thousands of impressions.”
The engineer and others in attendance showed Musk a Google trends chart showing how interest in Musk's posts had declined from last April, when his bid to acquire Twitter reached peak "interest."
A furious Musk told the engineer "You're fired, you're fired" at a time when the number of people using Twitter has declined by nine percent, as users retreat from a platform that has lost much of its appeal since Musk's takeover.
The news Musk fired one of Twitter's top engineers did not go over well on his own platform.
Musk officially acquired Twitter in October 2022 and has repeatedly insisted Twitter needs to go private if it wants to become a platform for free speech, though he has already come under fire for silencing his critics and spreading misinformation.
His stewardship of the company has sent advertisers scrambling and even prompted Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren to launch an inquiry into the harm Musk has caused to Tesla's investors since using Twitter as his "private plaything."
Moreover, a slew of chaotic policy decisions have further alienated the platform's users and Musk has walked back previous moves banning journalists while caving in to calls for him to appoint a new chief executive.
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