Chapter 172

Musk moves into Twitter headquarters and orchestrates a second massive round of layoffs, cutting approximately 80 percent of the remaining workforce. He establishes a loyal inner circle (the "musketeers") to identify disloyal employees through Slack monitoring, then introduces an "opt-in" system where workers must publicly commit to "hardcore" expectations or accept severance. Unexpectedly, 2,492 employees (69 percent) choose to stay.

After returning to San Francisco on November 13, Musk takes up residence at Twitter headquarters, sleeping on a seventh-floor couch to signal commitment to his team. He summons his cousins James and Andrew Musk and longtime associate Ross Nordeen, who form the core of a "hot box" war room on the tenth floor. Musk declares that only about 300 excellent engineers should remain, necessitating cuts of roughly 80 percent. Despite pushback from team members citing the World Cup and Thanksgiving shopping season, Musk insists on identifying employees lacking excellence, trustworthiness, and drive. The team reviews public Slack messages and social media posts, searching for disloyalty and threats. Though Ross and Andrew express privacy concerns, Musk shows no qualms; they identify and fire roughly three dozen employees based on snarky or critical comments. Recognizing employees' willingness to self-identify their commitment level, James and Ross propose an opt-out severance offer. Musk refines this into an "opt-in" system framed as a Shackleton expedition, requiring employees to click "yes" to affirm their willingness to work long, intense hours. Musk tests the link from a Delaware-bound airplane at 4 a.m., then emails all remaining staff the ultimatum. By the 5 p.m. Thursday deadline, 2,492 of approximately 3,600 employees opt in—a 69 percent acceptance rate that exceeds Musk's pessimistic prediction of 1,800. On Friday, November 18, Musk summons software engineers for code reviews despite confusing communications about office closure. Nearly 300 engineers arrive, some with suitcases, unsure if travel will be reimbursed. After keeping them waiting until 8 p.m., Musk conducts "desk-siding," examining engineers' code and questioning the design of Twitter's systems before departing with his dog X after 1 a.m.