(Trends Wide) — Two Twitter employees told Trends Wide on Thursday that they plan to reject Elon Musk’s ultimatum to commit to working “extremely hard” on the platform, citing a toxic work environment they say the billionaire has introduced to the company.
“I don’t want to stick around to build a product that is being poisoned inside and out,” a current employee who plans to resign told Trends Wide.
Musk gave employees a deadline of 5 p.m. ET Thursday to decide if they want to stay with the company and commit to “extremely hard” work to “build a revolutionary Twitter 2.0.” Employees who refuse to sign the pledge will be forced to leave the company and receive three months’ severance, Musk said.
“Everyone has a price but up to a certain point, and this layoff gives me some comfort to seek a better environment despite the economy,” added the employee.
The same person said management seems concerned about the number of people planning to leave, adding that they are “struggling” to convince talent to stay.
Another Twitter employee, who asked not to be quoted, shared similar concerns and said he also planned to leave the company.
A recently laid off employee who remains in contact with former co-workers told Trends Wide that everyone they had spoken to planned to reject Musk’s ultimatum and leave the company.
“People can’t ignore the public ridicule and firing of other employees,” the former employee told Trends Wide. “Similarly, they can’t overlook or feel comfortable working for someone who has handled the last few weeks the way Elon has,” he added.
“People don’t want to sacrifice their mental health and family life to make the richest man in the world richer,” the former employee added.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.