Musk's 'Layoff Storm'... Twitter Vice President Also Finally Resigns

Global Regulators Concerned Over Twitter's Inadequate Content Management Practices

[Asia Economy Reporter Haeyoung Kwon] One of Twitter's senior executives, the Vice President of Public Policy, has left the company following Elon Musk's announcement to step down from Twitter management and his large-scale layoff plan.

According to major foreign media on the 22nd (local time), Sinead McSweeney, Twitter's Vice President of Public Policy, recently resigned.

Earlier, Musk sent an internal email to all employees last month, shortly after acquiring Twitter, demanding they either adapt to intense long working hours or leave, requiring their consent. Vice President McSweeney filed an injunction with the court to prevent the company from firing her, and after the court approved it, she reportedly reached an agreement with the company and then resigned. Nick Pickles, Senior Director of Global Public Policy Strategy, is expected to succeed Vice President McSweeney.

With Vice President McSweeney's departure and the subsequent employee exodus, the Public Policy team, which previously had about 30 members, has been reduced by half.

Foreign media pointed out, "Due to Musk's mass layoffs, concerns from regulatory authorities worldwide regarding Twitter's content management and user data protection are growing." In particular, since the Public Policy team is responsible for discussions with the National Assembly, civic groups, and issues related to press freedom, privacy protection, and online safety, there are many voices worried about the future gaps in Twitter's content management operations. A reduced workforce may delay work processing and increase the likelihood that current policies under development will be abandoned.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Last month, Thierry Breton, European Union (EU) Commissioner for the Internal Market, stated, "Twitter will face an enormous task to comply with EU regulations such as content management, misinformation removal, and advertising restrictions." The EU plans to conduct a stress test early next year to evaluate Twitter's compliance system.

A German government official also emphasized, "Musk is threatening press freedom," and "The EU must strengthen direct management and supervision of Twitter."

Since acquiring Twitter, Musk has created various controversies in a short period, increasing anxiety among users, investors, and advertisers. While laying off 3,700 employees, which is 50% of the total workforce, he has also made controversial moves such as changing Twitter's content management policies, restoring former President Donald Trump's account, and suspending journalist accounts from media outlets. Meanwhile, Tesla's stock price plummeted by 60%. As criticism from investors grew, Musk held an online vote asking whether he should resign as Twitter CEO. When more than half of respondents demanded his resignation, Musk announced on the 20th via Twitter that he would step down as CEO once a successor is found.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.