(BBC News) Twitter has told employees that the company’s office buildings will be temporarily closed, with immediate effect.
In a message seen by the BBC, workers were told that the offices would reopen on Monday, Nov. 21.
It did not give a reason for the move.
The announcement comes amid reports that large numbers of staff were quitting after new owner Elon Musk called on them to sign up for “long hours at high intensity” or leave.
The message went on to say: “Please continue to comply with company policy by refraining from discussing confidential company information on social media, with the press or elsewhere.”
This week, Musk told Twitter staff that they had to commit to working long hours and would “need to be extremely hardcore” or leave the company.
In an email to staff, the firm’s new owner said workers should agree to the pledge if they wanted to stay, the Washington Post reported.
Those who did not sign up by Thursday, Nov. 17, would be given three months’ severance pay, Musk said.
Earlier this month, the company said that it was cutting about 50% of its workforce.
Employees have been tweeting using the hashtag #LoveWhereYouWorked and a saluting emoji to show they were leaving the firm.
Despite the turmoil at the company, Musk tweeted on Friday: “And… we just hit another all-time high in Twitter usage lol.”
Satirist Frank Lesser replied: “‘Rome has never been this brightly lit at night!’ – Nero” — a reference to the Roman emperor who is reputed to have fiddled while Rome burned.
Before Musk took control of Twitter, the company had about 7,500 staff. The firm was also reported to have employed thousands of contract workers, the majority of whom are understood to have been laid off.
The world’s richest person became Twitter’s chief executive after buying the firm last month in a $44-billion deal.
Musk seemed unconcerned about reports that Twitter was on the brink of shutting down, tweeting: “The best people are staying, so I’m not super worried.”
In separate posts, he tweeted a skull and crossbones emoji and a meme showing a gravestone with the Twitter logo on it.
