The employees of Twitter Inc. were scheduled to have a break on Monday, for the company’s monthly “rest day”. But Elon Musk made it hard not to think about the job. Musk, the billionaire who revealed this month that he would become Twitter’s largest single shareholder, backed out of a plan to join the company’s board at the weekend. Days earlier, CEO Parag Agrawal had laid the groundwork for a friendly relationship by inviting Musk to join the board. The company was so confident that it would accept that it listed Musk as a board member on the Investment Relations website. Mr. Agrawal also hosted a Q&A meeting with Musk and staff this week. For some employees, the reversal meant chaos: Musk was to continue to post his Twitter reviews to more than 80 million followers on the site, with no requirement to act in the company’s interest. Q&A canceled. In a statement late Sunday, Mr. Agrawal described Musk’s surprise decision as good for Twitter, but warned of “distractions ahead.” The whip is overwhelming, workers said. The atmosphere among Twitter employees is “overwhelmed”, with employees “working together to help each other get through the week”, some said, asking not to be named when discussing internal details of the company. In recent days, Musk has been posting product ideas on Twitter, from eliminating advertising for Twitter subscribers to turning part of his San Francisco headquarters into a homeless shelter. Without a seat on the board, there are no longer any restrictions on how many shares he can buy or on his tweet. An official expressed concern that Musk was “just starting out, which is unfortunate.” Many employees described the situation as a “sh-t show”. Some Twitter employees had mixed feelings about watching the “ask me-anything” session with Musk anyway. He could have clarified whether Musk had plans to be friendly or hostile with his share, but he could also raise further questions about how to react to his whims. “Musk’s immediate creepy effect was something that really bothered me,” Rumman Chowdhury, director of Twitter’s AI research team, posted on the social networking site. Meanwhile, Musk fans on Twitter have criticized the product, following his example. “Twitter has a beautiful culture of hilarious constructive criticism and I saw it shut up because its minions are attacking its employees,” said Rumman Chowdhury. Musk’s sudden change of mind over the board seat also sparked speculation about the end of his game. By not becoming a member of the board, Musk, who owns just over 9% of the company, is no longer subject to a standstill agreement that would have a maximum share of 14.9%. “This Elon decision does not bode well for Twitter,” he said, adding that he could increase his share while posting increasingly competitive content on the platform, said Matt Navara, a social media consultant. “Twitter thought it was difficult to have Trump on the platform. Elon Musk would be a corporate nightmare.”

title: “As Elon Musk Changes Mind On Twitter Board Whiplash For Staff On Day Off " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Barbara Barrett”

The employees of Twitter Inc. were scheduled to have a break on Monday, for the company’s monthly “rest day”. But Elon Musk made it hard not to think about the job. Musk, the billionaire who revealed this month that he would become Twitter’s largest single shareholder, backed out of a plan to join the company’s board at the weekend. Days earlier, CEO Parag Agrawal had laid the groundwork for a friendly relationship by inviting Musk to join the board. The company was so confident that it would accept that it listed Musk as a board member on the Investment Relations website. Mr. Agrawal also hosted a Q&A meeting with Musk and staff this week. For some employees, the reversal meant chaos: Musk was to continue to post his Twitter reviews to more than 80 million followers on the site, with no requirement to act in the company’s interest. Q&A canceled. In a statement late Sunday, Mr. Agrawal described Musk’s surprise decision as good for Twitter, but warned of “distractions ahead.” The whip is overwhelming, workers said. The atmosphere among Twitter employees is “overwhelmed”, with employees “working together to help each other get through the week”, some said, asking not to be named when discussing internal details of the company. In recent days, Musk has been posting product ideas on Twitter, from eliminating advertising for Twitter subscribers to turning part of his San Francisco headquarters into a homeless shelter. Without a seat on the board, there are no longer any restrictions on how many shares he can buy or on his tweet. An official expressed concern that Musk was “just starting out, which is unfortunate.” Many employees described the situation as a “sh-t show”. Some Twitter employees had mixed feelings about watching the “ask me-anything” session with Musk anyway. He could have clarified whether Musk had plans to be friendly or hostile with his share, but he could also raise further questions about how to react to his whims. “Musk’s immediate creepy effect was something that really bothered me,” Rumman Chowdhury, director of Twitter’s AI research team, posted on the social networking site. Meanwhile, Musk fans on Twitter have criticized the product, following his example. “Twitter has a beautiful culture of hilarious constructive criticism and I saw it shut up because its minions are attacking its employees,” said Rumman Chowdhury. Musk’s sudden change of mind over the board seat also sparked speculation about the end of his game. By not becoming a member of the board, Musk, who owns just over 9% of the company, is no longer subject to a standstill agreement that would have a maximum share of 14.9%. “This Elon decision does not bode well for Twitter,” he said, adding that he could increase his share while posting increasingly competitive content on the platform, said Matt Navara, a social media consultant. “Twitter thought it was difficult to have Trump on the platform. Elon Musk would be a corporate nightmare.”