Twitter mass layoffs begin as Musk slashes costs

Twitter employees have been told that a message to their work email means they still have a job. A message to their personal email means they don't. (AFP Photo)

SAN FRANCISCO: Thousands of Twitter employees were ordered to stay home on Friday to await a bracing round of layoffs that could see half of the payroll axed as new owner Elon Musk launches his major overhaul of the company.

A week after the billionaire took over the company promising sweeping changes, Twitter workers around the world have been checking two email addresses to find out if they still have a job, according to an internal memo sent to employees and seen by Bloomberg.