If you log onto Twitter these days, the vibe is akin to what we imagine being on the deck of the Titanic was like, you know, riiiight after it hit the iceberg.
Driving the news: After captain Elon Musk imposed a deadline for employees to commit to being hardcore or resign, between 1,000 and 1,200 Twitter employees chose the latter.
- A private Slack channel for employees was flooded (we’re keeping the ship puns going) with blue hearts and saluting emojis—all bidding farewell to the company.
- Musk temporarily closed offices and called a meeting for “anyone who actually writes software,” while tweeting about all-time high usage and making light of the situation.
Why it matters: Several former and current employees told The Verge that so many key people have departed they expect the platform to start breaking—and very soon.
- The surge in use from the World Cup’s opening match on Sunday could push Twitter to its limits without teams handling things as basic (and essential) as user traffic.
Prominent accounts have been bidding adieu with a sense that nobody would be surprised if Twitter suddenly stopped working and invaluable documents of modern history were lost.
Yes, but: This could be a little hyperbolic. Some employees don’t agree with the apocalyptic assessments and Musk says he’s confident “the best people are staying” to man the ship.
Bottom line: With this recent exodus, it seems that Twitter 2.0 has truly begun. Maybe it’ll work out in the end, but in case you’re worried, here’s how to download your Twitter archive.