OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Elon Musk has not officially gained control over Twitter yet, but in anticipation of his purchase deal going through, the platform is getting a lot more attention — to the chagrin of current employees.
According to Fortune, employment interest at Twitter following the SpaceX and Starlink founder’s buyout being accepted by the platform’s board of directors has skyrocketed:
It’s still unclear how a Musk-run Twitter might impact the company’s ability to retain current staff and recruit new employees. The company presented the takeover as a potential threat to its staffing abilities in an SEC filing Monday.
But at least casual interest in open positions at the company has skyrocketed since the Tesla billionaire showed serious interest in taking over the company.
On Thursday, Daniel Zhao, a senior economist and data scientist at the job insights platform Glassdoor, tweeted that interest in job openings at the social media giant was up 263% between April 24 and April 30.
“Some trivia: With the announcement of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition offer being accepted, interest in Twitter jobs on Glassdoor rose 263 percent last week (4/24-4/30), compared to the March 2022 baseline,” Zhao tweeted.
Some trivia: With the announcement of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition offer being accepted, interest in Twitter jobs on Glassdoor rose 263 percent last week (4/24-4/30), compared to the March 2022 baseline.
— Daniel Zhao (@DanielBZhao) May 5, 2022
He followed that up with this: “Well, the above data is made more relevant by today’s news. Say what you will about Elon, he does have a large fanbase of ppl excited to work for him. He’s much more likely to capitalize on that attraction as CEO than owner.”
Well, the above data is made more relevant by today’s news. Say what you will about Elon, he does have a large fanbase of ppl excited to work for him. He’s much more likely to capitalize on that attraction as CEO than owner.https://t.co/DxldJ1Hrqp
— Daniel Zhao (@DanielBZhao) May 5, 2022
In a statement to the financial news outlet, Zhao explained that interest is gauged by the number of average daily clicks on Twitter job postings on the platform as compared to daily job click averages in a March 2022 baseline before news broke that Musk was making a play for the social media giant.
And while clicks don’t necessarily translate into actual job applications submitted and could simply reflect current media focus on him and his deal, “the increase shows that people appear to be interested not just in the media story, but in work available at the company,” the outlet reported.
Fortune went on to know that a majority of Americans — 59 percent — approve of Musk’s takeover, according to a recent Harris Poll, “some current Twitter staff worry that it will dramatically change the company’s culture, and overall direction.”
That’s likely true if Musk implements some of the changes he has advertised such as much less censorship and a much greater emphasis on freedom of speech.
On Friday, Musk shared some more of his vision for the platform.
“If Twitter acquisition completes, company will be super focused on hardcore software engineering, design, infosec & server hardware,” he tweeted Friday morning in a post containing a link to the Fortune story.
If Twitter acquisition completes, company will be super focused on hardcore software engineering, design, infosec & server hardware https://t.co/m2HseK0TXl
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2022
“I strongly believe that all managers in a technical area must be technically excellent. Managers in software must write great software or it’s like being a cavalry captain who can’t ride a horse!” he added.
I strongly believe that all managers in a technical area must be technically excellent.
Managers in software must write great software or it’s like being a cavalry captain who can’t ride a horse!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2022
In an SEC filing this week, Twitter noted that whether Musk’s deal goes through or not, there will likely be adverse effects on the company.
“The announcement and pendency of our agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Elon Musk may have an adverse effect on our business results, and a failure to complete the merger could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition, cash flows, and stock price,” the company wrote.
Musk has secured enough capital for the deal, according to previous reports.
