– I think he has taken the water over his head – “big time”, says social media maven, Ståle Lindblad.
Like the rest of the world’s media commentators, he has watched Twitter usher in a new era for Musk with great interest.
In just two weeks, the richest man in the world has fired several top managers, announced layoffs for 7,500 employeesand introduce payments for verification hook.
On Wednesdays, employees are also served a ultimatum – go “hardcore” and work really hard, or quit.
CHIEF: On October 31, Elon Musk officially took over as CEO of Twitter. Photo: DADO RUVIC
– The way he operates
Lindblad said that Musk’s strategy is well known from past successes like Paypal, Tesla, and Space X, but he doesn’t think it would work at all for Twitter.
– That’s how he operates. The big difference is that Twitter isn’t about inventing new technology, as is the case with other companies, says Lindblad.
He emphasized that Twitter, on the other hand, has a very simple technical structure, and is more about users and the community they have created.
EXPERT: Ståle Lindblad is Areca’s general manager and social media expert. Photo: Susanne Lindblad
– I think Musk got high on himself after success with other companies, and therefore thought that he could fix Twitter too. The thing is, this is a far cry from anything he’s done before, and now I think he’s breaking more than he fixes.
Lindblad believes Musk is only sorry he made a bid for the platform back in April.
– Painful to watch
On Thursday, Musk announced that he would too looking for a new bosswho can lead the company in its place after the reorganization.
based on Reuters The plan reorganization of Twitter will be completed this week.
Social media mogul Astrid Valen-Utvik has been on Twitter for 14 years, is regularly active there, and said it was “very strange” following the first weeks of the Musk era.
– I almost thought it was a bit painful to watch. It feels like the platform is a bit on fire, with a madman at the top treating Twitter like its own playground. This could easily have consequences, says Valen-Utvik.
ACTIVE: Elon Musk is known to dedicate all of his time to work and projects. He expects employees to do the same. Photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY
Caring advertiser?
According to Valen-Utvik, the ultimatums to workers to “work long hours at high intensity” and that “only excellent performance will earn a passing mark” are antiquated.
– I’d probably be stressed if I worked there, but I’d be even more stressed if my “business” relied heavily on Twitter as a platform right now.
Lindblad also believes that advertisers are worried about what will happen in the future.
– Big brands attach importance to branding, and don’t want to have the same platform Canon and stuff like that. I think the companies associated with Twitter will probably notice this change more than ordinary people and users, said Lindblad.
SOME: Astrid Valen Utvik is a communications expert, with social media as one of her areas of expertise. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB
“Wild Chaos”
One of the questions is whether a giant platform like Twitter will fare well, with thousands fewer employees.
ICT expert Torgeir Waterhouse said he experienced Musk’s entry as a “wild mess”, but he was not overly concerned that the technology behind the platform would be brought to its knees.
– It is not certain that all employees are required, but it depends on what has been changed. It’s possible to get rid of a lot and still have basic supplies, but the question is what will happen in the long term, he said.
Waterhouse said he had been seeing signs that Twitter was cracking, and if the remaining staff were stretched to their limit, it’s hard to predict what might happen.
“I think it’s important to have a clearer political debate about how to react around arenas that are such a central part of a large public infrastructure in society,” he said.
EXPERIENCE: Torgeir Waterhouse, one of Norway’s leading IT security experts for 20 years and founder of Otte AS. Photo: Alexander Myklebust / TV 2
Can Twitter disappear?
Instead of coming in like a wrecking ball, cutting staff, and immediately making big changes, Lindblad believes Musk should make the change incremental.
– He should work with the organization from time to time, and maybe get rid of dead flesh. He had to motivate the best, but now he is doing the opposite. The brightest ones get new jobs easily, so they disappear very quickly, he says.
One of the questions many people are asking is whether Twitter can survive the changes that are now being implemented.
Over the years several major platforms have come and gone, for example MySpace, which saw its heyday in the mid-2000s.
RETRO: Do you remember the MySpace platform? It was huge in the 2000s, but succumbed to Facebook in its time. Photo: Facsimile
– It’s still there, but it no longer has the same user base. Twitter may become irrelevant, but that may only happen if Musk changes the platform to something completely different than it is now, Lindblad said.
Valen-Utvik stressed that it’s hard to predict how things will go with Twitter, but he hopes the company will emerge from Musk’s shift intact and maybe even strengthened.
Waterhouse believes the platform is so big that if it breaks with Musk, someone else will pick it up and bounce back.
– The question is whether it will be done by Musk or someone else in the end.
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