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Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

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Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#61
post #9

> I’m just now learning that Parag fired Kayvon while he was on paternity leave, which is truly awful. > Parag is on his way out too. Why is he firing his product leaders during his lame-duck period? https://twitter.com/CaseyNewton/status/1524790595968901122

My guess: the new boss gets started on a more positive note if they don't have to fire people because the old boss did it for him? Or at least, that would be a good explanation if we weren't talking about Musk.

What's in it for Parag to play bad cop for Musk? Enhanced pay-off?

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#62
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He’s being paid millions to keep his hand on the wheel and not be distracted by a deal that may never close.

That's my point though. The board accepted the buyout offer. "Hands on the wheel" means keeping the lights on and making sure everything stays stable until the deal closes. Firing the company's product and revenue leads is the opposite of that.

So they can re-negotiate with NewTwittah at higher salary?

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#63
post #49
post #6

Twitter's consumer product team is truly awful and have just made the product more and more miserable to use, so I don't cry too much about the change in leadership. Having said that, firing someone on paternity leave is terrible and would be rightly illegal in many countries.

> firing someone on paternity leave is terrible If he was paid through it, which I would assume-- any kind of senior dismissal will come with months of severance, what would the problem be?

> what would the problem be?

Well, for one: PR at a critical time, obviously.

And, general employee morale.

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#65
post #3

More info and more firings: https://twitter.com/mikeisaac/status/1524793136051986434 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/technology/two-twitter-le...

Parag was explicitly hired as a hatchet-man: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/hatch...

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#66
I suspect this was done in part because Elon Musk wants to make some big changes. It would be best for the outgoing CEO to make these difficult firings and then let Elon Musk come in and set a new tone without dealing with this negativity falling on Elon.

I'm not saying this is right, but it makes a lot of sense.

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#67
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He’s being paid millions to keep his hand on the wheel and not be distracted by a deal that may never close.

That's my point though. The board accepted the buyout offer. "Hands on the wheel" means keeping the lights on and making sure everything stays stable until the deal closes. Firing the company's product and revenue leads is the opposite of that.

You do realize it's going to be months before the deal closes, and there's a chance Elon walks away from it due to market conditions or other reasons? In this reality, counting something like this as done seems premature. The reasonable course of action is that plans made prior to this deal continue. Elon can sort it out if / when he takes the helm.

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#68
post #17

Why is Parag making any major changes at this point? What "new vision" is he going to execute in his last few months at the company before Elon comes in and torpedoes it anyways?

Elon Musk has no intention of actually acquiring Twitter. He's just using it as a smoke screen to liquidate a huge amount of Tesla stock. The fact that TWTR is currently trading at a 25% discount to the supposed acquisition price shows I am not the only person in the market who doubts the ultimate consummation of the acquisition.

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#69

Must have been bad blood if he wasn't even given the opportunity to resign and save face. I can't even imagine the vipers nest of toxicity that building must be at this point.

Might be a severance issue. If he resigns, no severence. I imagine if he is fired he gets some. So he might have forced them to fire him. I know I would.

Re: Twitter CEO fires two top executives, freezes hiring

#70

> I’m just now learning that Parag fired Kayvon while he was on paternity leave, which is truly awful. > Parag is on his way out too. Why is he firing his product leaders during his lame-duck period? https://twitter.com/CaseyNewton/status/1524790595968901122

It's deeply weird, too. In the enterprise, if someone high ranking is going to be replaced, they're never fired unless there was company-hostile bad behavior. If the organization is trying to move in another direction, they reorganize and reduce the role of that high ranking leader- maybe to a position where they're alone! and give that high ranking person time to make their next move comfortably. This goes double wh…

Unless there is some severe political rivalry. IIRC this guy was in contention for the CEO position before Agrawal was appointed.
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