Twitter employees use their own toilet paper after janitorial cuts
Some of Twitter’s remaining employees have reportedly started bringing their own toilet paper to the office as Elon Musk implements sweeping cost-cutting measures at the company.
Musk’s fight to save money included a move this month to abruptly fire janitors who worked at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. The cuts came after the janitors went on strike for more pay.
The absence of janitors has “left the office in disarray,” with bathrooms that have become “dirty” and lingering smells of “takeout leftovers and body odor,” the New York Times reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The report said some employees bring their own toilet paper because no janitors are on hand to replace supplies. Musk reportedly packed Twitter employees into two floors while closing four others.
Other budget-conscious moves included a decision by Musk to close one of Twitter̵[ads1]7;s data centers in Sacramento, California, despite reported concerns among some employees that it could hurt the site’s performance.
On Christmas Eve, Musk tweeted that Twitter was still working “even after I disconnected one of the more sensitive server racks.” The site experienced a widespread outage on Thursday, although the exact cause remains unclear.
The report said Twitter has missed rent payments on its San Francisco offices and stopped paying rent entirely on its Seattle building, where it is now facing evictions. The company also dismissed cleaners and some security staff at one of its New York buildings.
In addition, the Musk-led company allegedly missed or delayed payments to some suppliers, including accounting firm KPMG and benefits provider Carrot. Twitter’s new executives are said to be aiming to renegotiate some of the deals to reduce costs.
According to the New York Times, Musk has turned off some Twitter employees with an “erratic and hands-on leadership style.” The Twitter boss has asked his subordinates to identify employees responsible for leaking details of the company’s operations to the press.
In all, Musk is reportedly trying to shave $500 million in non-labor expenses from Twitter’s budget, according to the outlet.
The billionaire has been open about Twitter’s financial problems since he bought the company for $44 billion in late October. Earlier this month, Musk claimed his various cuts were necessary to avoid a $3 billion budget deficit.
“That’s why I spent the last five weeks cutting costs like crazy,” Musk said during a Twitter Spaces event last week. “This company is like, basically, you’re in a plane that’s headed for the ground at high speed with the engines on fire and the controls not working.”
Posten has contacted Twitter for comment. The company has cut the entire communications team.
