Elon Musk announces Twitter mass layoffs to begin Friday

Musk already fired several top Twitter executives immediately upon taking control of the company, including the chief executive, Parag Agrawal, finance chief, Ned Segal, and legal affairs and policy chief, Vijaya Gadde.

The Washington Post, citing an internal source, said the pending layoffs were expected to hit the company broadly, with cuts in marketing, product, engineering, legal, and trust and safety.

Experts in misinformation and civil rights advocates have warned that cutting Twitter staff just days before midterm elections in the US could have grave consequences, as the platform has already struggled with content moderation and will now have fewer resources.

Twitter employees shared messages of support with one another on the platform on Thursday as layoffs loomed, many using the workplace hashtag #OneTeam.

Workplace morale has reportedly been suffering for months as the chaotic saga of whether Musk would purchase Twitter wore on, with employees quitting in droves.