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Tag: Zoë Schiffer

  • Twitter Payments Head Esther Crawford Has Been Laid Off

    Twitter Payments Head Esther Crawford Has Been Laid Off

    The carnage at Twitter continues, with Twitter Payments head Esther Crawford laid off, along with most of her team.

    Esther Crawford was head of Twitter Payments, putting her in charge of Twitter Blue. According to Platformer’s Zoë Schiffer, Crawford is the latest to be purged from Twitter since Elon Musk’s takeover.

    Crawford’s departure is especially surprising since she was viewed as a Musk loyalist. in fact, she was one of those employees that answered Musk’s call to fully commit to the company.

    The Verge’s Alex Heath says the layoff extends to most of “product org.”

    Crawford’s departure makes one thing crystal clear: No one is safe in Musk’s Twitter.

  • Elon Musk Says a Twitter Bankruptcy Is on the Table

    Elon Musk Says a Twitter Bankruptcy Is on the Table

    Elon Musk has dropped a bombshell on employees, saying a Twitter bankruptcy was not out of the question.

    Since his purchase of the social media platform, Musk has conducted mass layoffs, fired top executives, let much of the moderation team go, made an utter mess of the platform’s verification system, killed off remote work and, to top it all off, is now saying the company could go bankrupt.

    Zoë Schiffer, Platformer’s Managing Editor, shared the news via Twitter:

    While the company hasn’t made a profit since 2019, things seem to be taking a major downturn since Musk took over. The company has lost some of its biggest advertisers over concerns about an increase in hate speech since Musk’s purchase, raising further doubt about the company’s financial future.

  • Apple’s Top AI Exec Leaves Over Remote Work

    Apple’s Top AI Exec Leaves Over Remote Work

    Apple’s top AI exec, Ian Goodfellow, has reportedly left the company over its remote work policy.

    Ian Goodfellow came to Apple by way of Google in March 2019. Goodfellow was appointed Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group, a position he has served in since joining the company. According to The Verge’s Zoë Schiffer, Goodfellow has left his position because of Apple’s lack of flexibility with its remote work policy.

    According to Schiffer, Goodfellow wrote a note to staff explaining his view:

    “I believe strongly that more flexibility would have been the best policy for my team.”

    Apple has been struggling with employee dissatisfaction over its efforts to return to normal. The company is coming off of numerous record-breaking quarters, during which its employees were working remotely. This has led many employees to question why a return to the office is necessary, since the company is clearly firing on all cylinders. The company has even resorted to giving bonuses up to $180,000 in an effort to stem defections.

    The most recent escalation involved employees sending a third letter to company executives, this time telling them to “get out of our way.”

    “Here we are, the smart people that you hired, and we are telling you what to do: Please get out of our way, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, let us decide how we work best, and let us do the best work of our lives.”

    If the reports are true, losing Goodfellow is a painful loss for Apple, and likely won’t be the last.

  • Apple Delays Return to Office Indefinitely, Gives Employees $1,000

    Apple Delays Return to Office Indefinitely, Gives Employees $1,000

    Apple has joined the list of companies pushing back its return-to-office date as the omicron variants threatens a new wave of infections.

    Apple was one of many companies looking to have employees return to the office early next year. Unfortunately, the omicron COVID variant is gaining traction and threatens to spark a new wave of cases. This latest turn in the fight against COVID has forced companies, including Apple, to rethink their previous plans.

    NBC News reporter Zoë Schiffer broke the news on Twitter.

    Schiffer also clarified that all retail employees will be receiving the $1,000 bonus. 

    Apple has been one of the companies most intent on getting employees back to the office. The fact that it is now changing course and leaving the return-to-office date open-ended speaks volumes about the state of the workplace and remote work.