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

Trendingnow

1

U.S. companies have finally gotten $71 billion in tariff refunds, but they’re using it to offset inflation caused by the Iran war

2

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

3

Kevin O’Leary claimed opposition to his Utah data center was fueled by Chinese money. Now he and Fox News are being sued for defamation

1

U.S. companies have finally gotten $71 billion in tariff refunds, but they’re using it to offset inflation caused by the Iran war

2

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

3

Kevin O’Leary claimed opposition to his Utah data center was fueled by Chinese money. Now he and Fox News are being sued for defamation
TechElon Musk

‘It’s like a building where all the pieces are on fire’: Twitter engineer says layoffs created chaos and Elon Musk works in the office with 2 bodyguards

Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 6, 2023, 1:06 PM ET
A picture of Elon Musk
Twitter has seen dramatic changes under Elon Musk's leadership.Dimitrios Kambouris—The Met Museum/Vogue/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Elon Musk became Twitter’s CEO in October and, in a matter of months, made drastic changes. He sacked scores of employees, including top executives and the team responsible for policing the service for inappropriate and abusive content or accounts. Employees who stayed at the company had to work crazy schedules and, in some cases, cater to Musk’s whims such as his desire to give his own tweets more visibility.

Twitter has had more frequent technical glitches in recent weeks, and it has become a breeding ground for fake accounts and bots. The platform is also increasingly becoming home to trolling and hateful content and “there’s nobody taking care of it,” an engineer at the company told BBC. 

“For someone on the inside, it’s like a building where all the pieces are on fire,” one unidentified Twitter employee told BBC as part of an investigation published Monday. 

The employee revealed the San Francisco–based social media company is in a state of chaos and many of the people in charge of creating and maintaining its security features that curbed 60% of Twitter’s trolling, have been fired. 

“When you look at it from the outside the facade looks fine, but I can see that nothing is working. All the plumbing is broken, all the faucets, everything,” the employee said. Since Twitter is short staffed, employees on other teams are forced to pile on additional tasks that aren’t under their remit.

“A totally new person, without the expertise, is doing what used to be done by more than 20 people,” the employee told the BBC. “That leaves room for much more risk, many more possibilities of things that can go wrong.”

Even on the content safety front, many features meant to protect users no longer work like they did before Musk became “chief twit” because there is no one assigned to them. 

Lisa Jennings Young was the head of Twitter’s content design, responsible for introducing safety features that guarded users from hateful content, when she was laid off after Musk’s acquisition. Her team members, all of whom were fired since Musk’s takeover, had designed the “nudge” feature that alerted users if their posts included trigger words or hateful language.

“Overall 60% of users deleted or edited their reply when given a chance through the nudge,” Jennings Young told the BBC. But now things are different. 

“There’s no one there to work on that at this time,” she said. 

Amid the disorderly environment, the Twitter employee who said the company was “on fire” told the BBC that when Musk is in the office he always has two bodyguards with him like in a “Hollywood movie.” They escort him everywhere—including to the restroom. 

Twitter did not immediately return Fortune’s request for comment. Musk and Twitter did not reply to the BBC’s investigation, but Musk tweeted a response to the original story.

Sorry for turning Twitter from nurturing paradise into place that has … trolls 🧌 pic.twitter.com/HaWl1jPfOm

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2023

The BBC investigation is the latest to shed light on Twitter’s internal operations since Musk bought the platform for $44 billion last year. Employees have said Twitter’s culture took a hit since the acquisition, with the office turning into a “ghost town” and no internal communications. They have also complained of long hours and the elimination of in-office perks as part of Musk’s effort to make the social media company profitable.

Twitter’s revenue reportedly dropped 35% in the fourth quarter, and on one day in January the service had 500 fewer advertisers than the same day a year earlier.

Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Sign up here.

About the Author
Prarthana Prakash
By Prarthana PrakashEurope Business News Reporter
LinkedIn icon

Prarthana Prakash was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • 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
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A massive margin call and ‘push-button liquidity’ have torched stocks, but they’re now poised to rebound, top Wall Street forecaster says
Investingtech stocks
A massive margin call and ‘push-button liquidity’ have torched stocks, but they’re now poised to rebound, top Wall Street forecaster says
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
2 hours ago
xi
AIChina
A Chinese Pink Floyd fan is giving Claude and Chat their own DeepSeek moment — an AI model just as good and half the price
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressJuly 18, 2026
4 hours ago
ives
BankingMarkets
‘I’m an example of what I’ve preached’: Dan Ives knows AI has a ‘PR problem’ but it led to his massive career change after 25 years on Wall Street
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 18, 2026
8 hours ago
pt
PoliticsReligion
Peter Thiel just gave the public its closest look yet at his ‘Antichrist’ theory—and it’s a tech and climate regulator
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 18, 2026
8 hours ago
Svenja Gudell, Chief Economist, Indeed
Commentaryaging
Indeed chief economist: Aging Baby Boomers are America’s real labor problem, not AI
By Svenja GudellJuly 18, 2026
10 hours ago
SpaceX stock falls back to earth shortly after Wall Street analysts release florid targets: ‘Paving the superhighway to the stars’
Investinginvesting strategy
SpaceX stock falls back to earth shortly after Wall Street analysts release florid targets: ‘Paving the superhighway to the stars’
By Shawn TullyJuly 18, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

U.S. companies have finally gotten $71 billion in tariff refunds, but they’re using it to offset inflation caused by the Iran war
Economy
U.S. companies have finally gotten $71 billion in tariff refunds, but they’re using it to offset inflation caused by the Iran war
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 17, 2026
2 days ago
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
C-Suite
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
By Fortune EditorsJuly 15, 2026
3 days ago
Kevin O’Leary claimed opposition to his Utah data center was fueled by Chinese money. Now he and Fox News are being sued for defamation
Law
Kevin O’Leary claimed opposition to his Utah data center was fueled by Chinese money. Now he and Fox News are being sued for defamation
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 17, 2026
2 days ago
Trump may have to choose between an endless quagmire and ceding the Strait of Hormuz to Iran
Energy
Trump may have to choose between an endless quagmire and ceding the Strait of Hormuz to Iran
By Jordan BlumJuly 18, 2026
11 hours ago
Peter Thiel just gave the public its closest look yet at his 'Antichrist' theory—and it's a tech and climate regulator
Politics
Peter Thiel just gave the public its closest look yet at his 'Antichrist' theory—and it's a tech and climate regulator
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 18, 2026
8 hours ago
After the Supreme Court killed his first tariffs, Trump turns to a new legal workaround to impose 25% tariffs on Brazil and possibly others
Economy
After the Supreme Court killed his first tariffs, Trump turns to a new legal workaround to impose 25% tariffs on Brazil and possibly others
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 17, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 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.