Twitter offices have been closed down and employees are resigning in droves amidst fear that the service might shut down at any time. Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter in a $44 billion deal last month, users, employees, and everyone else involved with the company have experienced a tumultuous month thanks to erratic planning and ad hoc policies. Musk gave an early indication of what was to come when he started off his first day as the owner of Twitter by firing several members of the company's top management, including CEO Parag Agarwal.

Things only got progressively worse after Musk fired half the company's total workforce, only to hire many of them back after realizing that they're integral to the smooth functioning of the company and website. The shenanigans with the blue 'Verified' checkmark and the short-lived experiment with the gray 'Official' badge also added to the growing confusion regarding policymaking at the new Twitter. Earlier this week, Musk sent an ultimatum to the remaining employees, asking them to work "extremely hardcore," which would involve "working long hours at high intensity." Employees were asked to explicitly agree to the new working conditions or leave with severance pay.

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Thousands of Twitter employees who chose not to get on board with Elon Musk's plans for the so-called 'Twitter 2.0' are reportedly resigning from the company. Concerned about employee discontent, Musk and his team closed down Twitter offices and revoked badge access for employees. According to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer, the actions were taken in fear that outgoing employees could sabotage the company in retribution. The offices are scheduled to reopen on Monday, Nov. 21 after the company figured out who's in and who's out.

The Growing Chaos And Confusion At Twitter

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Employee morale was already believed to have been at an all-time low following the mass layoffs earlier this month, and Musk's "extremely hardcore" email has seemingly put many of them over the edge, resulting in the mass exodus. However, some of the people who resigned on Thursday claimed to still have access to internal company systems hours after their resignation, amid speculations that those in charge of cutting off access for ex-employees had also quit.

The confusion has made some people openly wonder if Twitter will be able to fight off the current upheavals and keep functioning smoothly or if the lack of qualified engineers will hamper its day-to-day functioning. Noted tech journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher is one such skeptic. In a tweet earlier today, Swisher warned that "the service could shut down at any time & for a short or long time."

With the mass exodus of highly-skilled engineers and cyber-security experts, some are even warning that the platform is now more vulnerable than ever to hackers and malicious actors. Amid heightened concerns over user privacy, a cyber-security analyst recently warned that Twitter users should delete their DMs as soon as possible. According to other experts, a massive hack could knock the blue bird off its perch at any time if Musk and his team at Twitter do not get their act together soon.

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Source: Zoë Schiffer/Twitter, Jen Hamon/Twitter, Kara Swisher/Twitter