Musk bans remote work at Twitter without his personal approval: reports

Twitter CEO Elon Musk is requiring all employees to work in the office 40 hours per week unless he personally approves remote work, multiple outlets reported. 

Musk made the announcement in his first email to Twitter staff on Wednesday, saying that the policy will take effect immediately. 

In an email obtained by Bloomberg, Musk said that “difficult times” lie ahead and that there is “no way to sugarcoat the message” about Twitter’s economic outlook. 

The company previously allowed employees to work from anywhere amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Musk said at a company-wide meeting after announcing the deal to buy Twitter earlier this year that he was against remote work. 

Twitter did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill. 

The news comes about a week after Musk announced he would lay off 3,700 employees, equivalent to about half of Twitter’s staff. 

Twitter has been losing money consistently after many companies pulled their advertisements from the platform. Twitter is also billions of dollars in debt, and Musk has been looking to take steps to cut costs and increase revenue. 

The Tesla CEO announced a plan to charge users $8 per month for a “blue check” Twitter verification, but revenue generated from the measure would reportedly not be nearly enough to cover its debt. 

Many companies have begun requiring their staffs to work in the office in recent months as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on daily life fade. Musk announced in May that he would require employees for his automotive company, Tesla, to work in the office 40 hours per week. 

CNBC reported that multiple top-level executives at Twitter have resigned amid the changes Musk is making.