When layoffs have a hashtag: Tech cos see own tools being used to criticise them

The norms of candid communication that Twitter enabled have been on display throughout Elon Musk’s takeover, as ex-employees shared their layoff frustrations in tweets

There were few scenes ofworkers packing up theircubicles, shoving plaques in boxes and commiserating over beers. Instead, there were tweets. Hung Truong watched his Twitter feed fill with layoffrelated posts this past week. Friends and former colleagues were all out of work. At the start of the pandemic, he’d lost his job at Lyft. And he recalled the strange relief of posting that on Twitter, knowing he wouldn’t have to give the update to followers one by one.

That’s an experience thousands are now sharing, as Twitter, Meta and other companies slash their work forces: Getting laid off in a time of extreme transparency, with social media providing an outlet for immediate processing.