[Germany] Labour court learns Twitter’s entire comms team was fired

Twitter's communications department in Germany ceased to exist after its team members were all dismissed. Now there is a court battle in the country over the legality of the layoffs, The Limited Times reports.

In the wake of billionaire Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, it was apparently decided that an independent department for press and public relations in Germany is unnecessary, according to Bloomberg news agency reporting.

The former head of the communications department subsequently sued for unfair dismissal.

At a Hamburg tribunal, the dismissed manager reportedly explained that the dissolution of his team would affect the operation of Twitter in Germany. He said that it was "very difficult" to handle the company's German-language communication from Dublin, where EMEA operations are headquartered.

A company lawyer described the layoffs as a result of "company restructuring under new leadership," according to Bloomberg.

Mass layoffs

Since taking over Twitter at the end of October, Elon Musk has become infamous for making mass layoffs.

In his first three weeks as CEO, he fired thousands of contractors and sent home half of the company's 7,500 employees, provoking the skeleton crew that remained.

Musk then doubled down with an ultimatum to those who had stayed. Anyone who did not commit to the company by a specified date would leave Twitter with three months' salary.

He made headlines by promising those committing to remain that the company would be "extremely hardcore" in the future.

Employees were then temporarily denied access to the company headquarters in San Francisco, Twitter did not give a reason for this.

One extreme example of how Twitter is currently handling employees is the experience of a team in Ghana.

The company opened its new Africa headquarters there, only to close it four days later. All but one employee was fired, according to media reports.

Hiring

Apparently, this doesn't stop some people from signing up with Musk.

As late as November - following the sacking of thousands of staff - the self-proclaimed "Chief Twit," reportedly announced new hires.

Observers have been highly critical of these events and concerned about their impact on the once-popular microblogging platform. The Hamburg political scientist Ingrid Schneider reportedly expressed fear that Twitter could develop into an "extremist battlefield" as a result of Musk's attitude.

Source: The Limited Times

(Quotes via original reporting)

Twitter's communications department in Germany ceased to exist after its team members were all dismissed. Now there is a court battle in the country over the legality of the layoffs, The Limited Times reports.

In the wake of billionaire Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, it was apparently decided that an independent department for press and public relations in Germany is unnecessary, according to Bloomberg news agency reporting.

The former head of the communications department subsequently sued for unfair dismissal.

At a Hamburg tribunal, the dismissed manager reportedly explained that the dissolution of his team would affect the operation of Twitter in Germany. He said that it was "very difficult" to handle the company's German-language communication from Dublin, where EMEA operations are headquartered.

A company lawyer described the layoffs as a result of "company restructuring under new leadership," according to Bloomberg.

Mass layoffs

Since taking over Twitter at the end of October, Elon Musk has become infamous for making mass layoffs.

In his first three weeks as CEO, he fired thousands of contractors and sent home half of the company's 7,500 employees, provoking the skeleton crew that remained.

Musk then doubled down with an ultimatum to those who had stayed. Anyone who did not commit to the company by a specified date would leave Twitter with three months' salary.

He made headlines by promising those committing to remain that the company would be "extremely hardcore" in the future.

Employees were then temporarily denied access to the company headquarters in San Francisco, Twitter did not give a reason for this.

One extreme example of how Twitter is currently handling employees is the experience of a team in Ghana.

The company opened its new Africa headquarters there, only to close it four days later. All but one employee was fired, according to media reports.

Hiring

Apparently, this doesn't stop some people from signing up with Musk.

As late as November - following the sacking of thousands of staff - the self-proclaimed "Chief Twit," reportedly announced new hires.

Observers have been highly critical of these events and concerned about their impact on the once-popular microblogging platform. The Hamburg political scientist Ingrid Schneider reportedly expressed fear that Twitter could develop into an "extremist battlefield" as a result of Musk's attitude.

Source: The Limited Times

(Quotes via original reporting)