They lived through Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. Now, they have advice for federal government employees
CNN
As Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency associates barrel through the federal government, former Twitter (now X) employees have seen this all before.
As Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency associates barrel through the federal government, former Twitter (now X) employees have seen this all before. Musk appears to be bringing his Twitter takeover playbook to the public sector, and, as they did at the social media company, his moves are causing chaos and confusion for federal workers. The richest man in the world has attempted to reduce costs and gut entire departments, including by playing a role in an ultimatum email to federal workers with the same subject line — “Fork in the Road” — that more than two years ago, topped an email asking Twitter staff to commit to working “extremely hardcore” under Musk’s new leadership or resign. The consequences this time around are potentially much more serious: Twitter is a social media platform; the federal government has a direct impact on the lives of billions of people in the United States and around the world. But Musk’s takeover of Twitter could foreshadow what may happen next for US government workers. Musk, DOGE and X did not respond to requests for comment for this article. Like he did when taking over Twitter, Musk has framed his actions within the federal government in dire terms, as necessary to reduce wasteful spending and save democracy.
