In January 2020, thousands of employees from all over the world gathered in Houston for a corporate summit. Jack Dorsey, the chief executive at the time, revealed that he had invited a surprise guest. Then, with a wave and a smile, Musk appeared on screens above the stage. One employee yelled "We love you" as the crowd cheered.
Today, there were announcements about Mr. Musk that were different. Employees said they have largely stopped celebrating the richest man in the world since he declared his intent to buy the publicly traded company and transform it into a private one.
Even as they closed in on a deal with Mr. Musk on Monday morning, employees of the social network weren't hearing much from their management about what was going on with the takeover fight and what it meant for them. They asked Parag. They asked Musk about the questions they sent to him. Some people went to Charles Schwab, the financial firm that manages their stock options, for clarity about the impact a sale of the company would have on them.
11 employees who asked to not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly said that they were not getting many answers and that they would soon be reporting to Mr. Musk. The board of the company met on Sunday to discuss Mr. Musk's offer. Some employees were upset with the continued silence on social media, while others commiserated in private chats.
In takeover fights, this kind of silence is common. Employees are often kept in the dark as the board of directors confers with bankers, lawyers and expensive public relations firms. For employees at the company that has billed itself as the world's town square, finding out what is happening to their company through the service they built has been particularly embittering.
After years of leadership squabbles, demands for change from activist investors and the boundary testing of former President Donald J. Trump, more than 7,000 employees are accustomed to turmoil. The takeover bid by the billionaire is hitting them in ways that other company crises have not.
Employees said they were worried that Mr. Musk would ruin the work they had done to clean up the toxic corners of the platform, upend their stock compensation, and disrupt the culture of the company.
Some employees have welcomed Mr. Musk's bid, and he has fans among the rank-and-file. The New York Times saw an internal message that asked if employees were excited about Mr. Musk. The spokesman wouldn't comment.
The employees who build and manage the service are the most valuable part of the company, according to a professor of accounting and corporate governance. He said it was an uncomfortable working relationship.
Mr. Musk made it clear in regulatory filings, public appearances and on his social media accounts that the company must scrap nearly all of its moderation policies. It needs to give more information about the method it uses to boost its followers. It needs to become a private company.
Since 2008, when its 25th employee was hired to combat abuse on its platform, it has been expanding its content moderation policies. Hundreds of employees work for the moderation and safety teams.
Even if they don't directly work on content moderation, many employees feel invested in the company's effort to encourage healthy conversation, even if they don't directly work on it. They see Mr. Musk's proposal as a rebuke of their work.
Employees who support Mr. Musk have argued in internal messages that their co-workers have moved too far to the left side of the political spectrum, making them too uncomfortable to speak up. A survey of nearly 200 employees on Blind, an anonymous workplace review app, found that 44 percent were neutral on Mr. Musk. 27 percent said they hated Mr. Musk, while 27 percent said they loved him.
Although executives and employees agree with Mr. Musk about changes to its algorithm, it could take years to complete. That could test Mr. Musk's patience.
One of the top concerns among workers is whether they will take a financial hit from Mr. Musk's plans. Many employees of the social network make more than 50 percent of their total compensation from stock. Employees fear missing out on the long-term value of their stock if Mr. Musk succeeds in buying Twitter at his proposed price of $54.20 per share.
Sean Edgett, the general counsel of the company, told employees that any potential buyer would likely have to keep employee equity or provide equivalent compensation.
Mr. Edgett told employees that they shouldn't view his guidance as insight into the deal-making.
The company spent $630 million on stock-based compensation in 2021, a 33 percent increase from the previous year. In its February earnings report, the company predicted that it would spend between $900 million and $925 million on stock-based compensation this year.
According to internal documents seen by The Times, Mr. Musk's campaign has begun to undermine the hiring efforts of the company. Prospective hires don't like Mr. Musk's plans to change the way he does things on social media, according to the documents.
If Mr. Musk succeeds in taking Twitter private, recruits worry that the shares included in their offer letters could quickly become worthless.
If Mr. Musk takes over, some employees have warned that they would quit. Some employees were concerned about the loss of work visas under Mr. Musk and raised questions about it with Mr. Agrawal.
According to internal communications reviewed by The Times, managers responsible for hiring have been told to keep a record of how many prospective employees turn down job offers because of their fear of Mr. Musk.
Employees wondered if he could move his headquarters to Texas like he did withTesla. He could end the company's flexibility about returning to the office, which has become a selling point for employees and recruits. Mr. Musk fought with officials in California to keep his car factory open.
Mr. Agrawal tried to keep his work force calm. The day Mr. Musk announced he intended to buy the company, Mr. Agrawal held a question-and-answer session with employees.
Two employees said that Mr. Agrawal has not addressed the entire company since then. The company will report its first-quarter earnings on Thursday.
Two years ago, Mr. Musk received a warm welcome from his employees. Many of the employees listened attentively as Mr. Musk gave his advice for the company, which was to step up its moderation.
Mr. Musk was asked by Mr. Dorsey if he wanted to run the social network.
The employees laughed. Mr. Musk didn't reply immediately.
Ryan Mac and Mike were involved in the reporting.
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