Twitter Users Tell Platform to Rest in Peace as Fears of Collapse Spread

"#RIPTwitter" was the No. 1 trending topic in the United States on Thursday evening as large numbers of Twitter employees reportedly resigned following new owner Elon Musk's "hardcore" mandate.

On Wednesday, Musk reportedly sent all employees an ultimatum that they would sign a pledge to be part of "Twitter 2.0", or be dismissed with three months' worth of severance pay. He told employees they would "need to be extremely hardcore," promising that staying would "mean working long hours at high intensity."

However, as the 5 p.m. Thursday deadline for his ultimatum passed, "hundreds" of employees had resigned, according to The New York Times. In response, Twitter announced that it would be closing its office buildings until Monday, the paper said, adding that badge access for employees had been disabled.

Many Twitter users had harsh words for Musk's handling of the company since he bought it late last month.

"Possibly the BEST platform to get faster-than-real-time news, organize activists, create community, and mobilize first responders. I had the privilege of participating in a suicide intervention circa 2009? 2010? Thanks for f'ng this up, mu$k. #RIPTwitter," author Meredith Gould wrote.

"Hopefully this whole Elon Musk thing will finally prove that you can be a billionaire businessman and not be good at business... or handling billions. #RIPTwitter," comedian W. Kamau Bell wrote.

"Everyone making comparisons to the band playing as the Titanic sunk doesn't understand that the band quit two weeks ago while the captain was laughing about the hole in the hull. #RIPTwitter," author Ken Plume wrote.

Not all users believed the end of Twitter was near, with some slamming doomsayers as preemptively declaring the platform dead.

"Blue Checks promoting #RIPTwitter is like fish rooting for the ocean to dry up," Barstool Sports host Jerry Thornton wrote.

"A lot of people are asking me, is it really #RIPTwitter? No, I don't think so. First of all, we don't know if 75% are actually leaving. I expect it to be less dramatic, but I do believe most are done with the Elon show and are happy to take the exit," Fortune magazine tech reporter Kylie Robison tweeted.

"Seriously. I'm seeing all these lefties wishcasting the demise of Twitter so they can get people to go to Mastodon. Ain't nobody trying to go to Mastodon! It's so weird. #RIPTwitter," Jeff Charles, contributor to Newsweek's opinion section, wrote, referring to one of the platforms that some users have floated as a Twitter replacement.

"How do you make a small fortune in social media? Start out with a large one," Musk himself tweeted as the site's Trending list was studded with topics speculating about Twitter's impending doom.

Newsweek reached out to Musk's representatives via Tesla for comment.