• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Oops. Twitter is already trying to rehire workers Elon Musk fired days ago, sources say

By
Kurt Wagner
Kurt Wagner
,
Edward Ludlow
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 6, 2022, 4:08 PM ET
Twitter headquarters in San Francisco.
Twitter headquarters in San Francisco.David Odisho—Getty Images

Twitter Inc., after laying off roughly half the company on Friday following Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition, is now reaching out to dozens of employees who lost their jobs and asking them to return.

Some of those who are being asked to return were laid off by mistake, according to two people familiar with the moves. Others were let go before management realized that their work and experience may be necessary to build the new features Musk envisions, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information.

Twitter cut close to 3,700 people this week via email as a way to trim costs following Musk’s acquisition, which closed in late October. Many employees learned they lost their job after their access to company-wide systems, like email and Slack, were suddenly suspended. The requests for employees to return demonstrate how rushed and chaotic the process was.

A Twitter spokesperson did not reply to a request for comment. Twitter’s plan to hire back workers was previously reported by Platformer.

“Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day,” Musk tweeted on Friday.

Twitter has close to 3,700 employees remaining, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk is pushing those who remain at the company to move quickly in shipping new features, and in some cases, employees have even slept at the office to meet new deadlines.

Over the weekend, Twitter rolled out a new Twitter Blue subscription plan, offering a verification check mark for any user who pays $8 a month. The company also said it will soon be launching other features, including half the ads as well as the ability to post longer videos and to get priority ranking in replies, mentions, and searches.

The New York Times on Sunday reported Twitter will delay changes to the check marks until after Tuesday’s midterm elections, after users and employees raised concerns that the plan could be misused to sow discord. 

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Authors
By Kurt Wagner
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Edward Ludlow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Latest in Tech

AsiaElectric vehicles
BYD posts slowest annual sales growth in 5 years, but China’s EV giant is still set to outsell Tesla for the first time
By Angelica AngJanuary 2, 2026
11 minutes ago
Bill Gates gestures
Successthe future of work
Could 2026 be the year of the 4-day workweek? Here’s what top business leaders have predicted about the shift
By Preston ForeJanuary 2, 2026
29 minutes ago
Two gamer teenagers work on computers.
CybersecurityHacking
Feds are hunting teenage hacking groups like ‘Scattered Spider’ who have targeted $1 trillion worth of the Fortune 500 since 2022
By Amanda GerutJanuary 1, 2026
22 hours ago
C-SuiteLeadership Next
For CEOs in 2025, the year was all about wellness, AI adoption, and changing consumer habits
By Fortune EditorsDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
xi
EconomyChina
Xi touts China’s AI, chip wins in triumphant New Year’s speech
By BloombergDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
Donald Trump on the phone in front of a Christmas tree
Startups & VentureDonald Trump
Trump Mobile says its first-ever smartphone is delayed, and the government shutdown is to blame
By Dave SmithDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Politics
Buddhist monks peace-walking from Texas to DC persist even after being run over on highway outside Houston
By The Associated PressDecember 30, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Melinda French Gates got her start at Microsoft because an IBM hiring manager told her to turn down its job offer—'It dumbfounded me'
By Emma BurleighDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Marriott’s CEO spoke out about DEI. The next day, he had 40,000 emails from his associates
By Ashley LutzJanuary 1, 2026
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Startups & Venture
Trump Mobile says its first-ever smartphone is delayed, and the government shutdown is to blame
By Dave SmithDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Lay's drastically rebrands after disturbing finding: 42% of consumers didn't know their chips were made out of potatoes
By Matty Merritt and Morning BrewDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Exiting CEO left each employee at his family-owned company a $443,000 gift—but they have to stay 5 more years to get all of it
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 30, 2025
3 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.