#RIPTwitter Trends as Power Users Sign Off Amid Rising Turmoil
Twitter users bid the platform farewell on Thursday night amid increasing turmoil after owner Elon Musk found employees resigning in huge numbers in response to his demand that they stay “hardcore.”
Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali, who has 301,700 followers, appeared to be signing off for the last time, as did D.C.-based journalist Aaron Rupar, who got in a dig against Musk’s other company, Tesla. “If this is my very last tweet, I just gotta say one thing — I will never, ever, buy a Tesla,” wrote Rupar.
@PixelizedSunset shared a clip of Eddie Redmayne crying and singing, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from “Les Miserables” with the caption,”the one employee left at twitter hq rn (right now) #RIPTwitter .”
Social media influencer Mitchell Nagy wrote, “Gentlemen, it has been a privilege tweeting with you tonight,” alongside a clip from “Titanic” of the musicians playing on the deck of the sinking ship as frenzied doomed passengers try to run from the rising water.
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Among the phrases trending on Thursday night: Goodbye Twitter, #RipTwitter and #TwitterDown.
As for what few employees are left after Musk demanded they commit to “extremely hardcore work” to the tech company, most are staying to keep their work visas, wrote Washington Post contributor Holly Figueroa O’Reilly.
The timing of the announcement that Twitter’s San Francisco offices would be closed for the holidays gave the added impression that Twitter might not reopen amidst rumors that Musk feared sabotage from remaining employees.
One parody account wrote that, amidst all the chaos, Elon himself was temporarily locked out.
Twitter was often a hellscape, but it was also a diverse community that rallied to help save my daughter's life. I shared her story of needing a liver donor for her Stage 4 Cancer, & thankfully @ShawnZed read the tweets, & now she's alive & a cute diva. God is good. #RIPTwitter
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) November 18, 2022
Gentlemen, it has been a privilege tweeting with you tonight.#RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/wDRHyWhwf3
— Mitchell Nagy (@mryannagy) November 18, 2022
if this is my very last tweet, i just gotta say one thing — I will never, ever, buy a Tesla
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 18, 2022
the one employee left at twitter hq rn #RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/6nWypAf8Zj
— Pixelized Sunset (@PixelizedSunset) November 18, 2022
So, roughly 25% of the workforce at Twitter has to stay because they have work visas, and Elon says they are shutting down for the weekend.
Did he really think this "work harder or leave" ultimatum was going to work?
Everyone who can leave *is* leaving.#RIPTwitter https://t.co/1wZDPCKscO— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) November 18, 2022
There's no one sailing the ship. They all jumped overboard & Elon Musk is fucked. Seriously, by Monday almost 90% of the company has been laid off or quit in disgust.
See you on Tribel & maybe Mastodon..#TwitterDayofMourning#TwitterDownpic.twitter.com/c6fehawvUW
— Jeffrey Ⓥ (@LiftForever67) November 18, 2022
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