Tesla CEO Elon Musk has told potential investors that he will cut roughly three-quarters of Twitter's workforce once he secures control of the company.
The firm currently employs roughly 7,500 people. Documents the Washington Post obtained indicate that Musk plans to operate the platform with approximately 2,000 employees. Musk's purchase of Twitter could reportedly close as soon as next week.
Musk announced in late April that he had agreed to purchase Twitter for $44 billion. He ultimately withdrew his bid citing the prevalence of bot accounts on the platform, prompting Twitter to sue him to complete the deal. Amid a tense legal battle, Musk made a surprise offer to honor his original deal, which in turn led to a judge staying the suit.
His purchase of the platform has attracted federal scrutiny, including from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has long raised questions about Musk's other operations.
The billionaire has vowed to curtail the platform's censorship of dissenting viewpoints and to restore former President Donald Trump's account.
Musk previously warned employees that "work expectations would be extreme" under his leadership, a prospect with evidently minimal relevance for the majority of the platform's workers.