Twitter CEO Breaks Silence on Exodus of Execs, Hiring Freeze and Musk Bid: 'We Need to Be Prepared for All Scenarios'Parag Agrawal took to the social media platform to clear the air about an employee memo that was released last Thursday.

ByEmily Rella

Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The transition fromTwitterbeing a publicly traded company led by CEOParag Agrawalto a privately-held company owned by billionaireElon Muskhas been anything but smooth and drama free.

Musk's purchase, which is widelyexpected to close by the end of 2022, has been thecause of contentionamong shareholders Twitter employees who have been vocal about their concerns for the company moving forward.

It seems as though some of these concerns werewell-founded last weekwhen Agrawal told employees that two top Twitter execs — Kayvon Beykpour (general manager of consumer) and Bruce Falck (revenue product lead — would be leaving the company, shortly after Musk himself explained that his bid on the company was "on hold" pending an accurate report of what percentage of Twitter users are actually bots and spam accounts.

Agrawal did not publicly comment on the matter at the time but took to Twitter over the weekend to break his silence regarding Musk's deal and the departure of the employees, noting that he does "expect the deal to close."

Related:Elon Musk Said He Isn't Worried About Twitter Employees Quitting

"Changes impacting people are always hard. And some have been asking why a "lame-duck" CEO would make these changes if we're getting acquired anyway. The short answer is very simple,"Agrawal wrote. "We need to be prepared for all scenarios and always do what's right for Twitter. I'm accountable for leading and operating Twitter, and our job is to build a stronger Twitter every day."

The CEO explained that Twitter is constantly improving, regardless of what high-level changes may be taking place and using this as an explanation as to why the company is now also zoning in on cutting non-labor costs across the board.

"Our industry is in a very challenging macro environment – right now,"he said. "I won't use the deal as an excuse to avoid making important decisions for the health of the company, nor will any leader at Twitter."

Agrawal closed by promising "more transparency" and "more change for the better" before thanking his team for the work that's been done throughout the process.

Related:Twitter Announces Hiring Freeze, Ousts Top Execs as Elon Musk Announces His Bid is 'On Hold'

The Twitter CEO'smemo to employeesfrom May 12 explained that the company was undergoing a hiring freeze and cutting non-labor related costs and stated that though the company would not be enacted company-wide layoffs, Twitter leaders would still "continue making changes to their organizations to improve efficiencies as needed."

This came nearly a month after Twitter released itsQ1 2022 earningswhich claimed that Twitter spam accounts and bots currently account for less than 5% of the total MDAUs on the social media platform, a calculation that the company admitted "may not accurately represent the actual number."

This prompted Musk to pause the deal until these calculations were verified, seeing as the removal and management of these accounts are something that the Tesla CEO is very adamant about focusing on if and when he takes over Twitter.

"I've also vowed this publicly that we have to get rid of the bots and trolls and the scams and everything, because that's obviously diminishing the user experience, and we don't want people getting tricked out of their money and that kind of thing," Musksaidearlier this month on the red carpet at the Met Gala. "I'm definitely on the warpath, so if somebody's operating a bot or troll on me then I'm definitely their enemy."

Twitterwas down over27.5% year over year as of Monday afternoon.

Related:What Other CEOs Can Learn From Elon Musk's Aggressive, Unorthodox Twitter Takeover

Wavy Line
Emily Rella

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

企业家是不能过度指狗万官方望太多a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Business News

Kevin O'Leary Slams Anheuser-Busch CEO's Listening Tour, Says It Won't Stop Bud Light Backlash for One Huge Reason

Anheuser-Busch U.S. CEO Brendan Whitworth announced plans to hear consumers out this summer.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2023

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2023.

Business News

Netflix is Hiring an AI-Focused Role—and the Starting Salary is up to $900,000

The streaming giant is looking for a leader in its machine learning department.

Business News

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's Family 'Stranded' at Boston Airport During 9-Hour Delay: 'We Made Quite a Home Here'

The actors spent $600 on pillows and blankets while waiting for their flight.