Elon Musk, in first email to Twitter staff, ends remote work

New Twitter owner Elon Musk has told employees at the social media network that they will not be allowed to work remotely, and to prepare for “difficult times ahead”, according to a media report.

In his first email to Twitter staff since completing his $44bn takeover close to two weeks ago, the world’s richest man said workers would be expected to be present in the office for at least 40 hours per week, according to Bloomberg News. He said he would only approve remote work on a case-by-case basis.

Musk wrote there was “no way to sugarcoat the message” about Twitter’s challenging economic outlook and also stressed the “absolute top priority” was finding and suspending bots, trolls and spam.

“The road ahead is arduous and will require intense work to succeed,” Musk reportedly wrote in the email.

Since buying Twitter late last month, Musk has laid off half its workforce and most of its top executives. He has also announced a series of actions, including charging $8 for the Twitter Blue subscription.

In the email, Musk also told employees he wanted to see subscriptions account for half of Twitter’s revenue.

When Twitter in March reopened offices that had been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it said employees could still work from home if they wanted.

Musk’s move reflected policies at his other companies, SpaceX and Tesla, where he told employees to work in the office at least 40 hours a week, or leave.