Twitter Sacks 50% of Staff! (Vocabulary from the News)

Tom Wilkinson

Host and founder of Thinking in English, Tom is committed to providing quality and interesting content to all English learners. Previously a research student at a top Japanese university and with a background in English teaching, political research, and Asian languages, Tom is now working fulltime on bettering Thinking in English!

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Elon Musk has said he had “no choice” after sacking around 50% of Twitter’s staff. Musk, who took over Twitter in a $40bn deal, said Twitter was losing money everyday.

The axed employees span the entire globe and all departments. There are now concerns about content moderation on the platform with a reduced level of staff.

Companies have also suspended their advertisements on Twitter, and Elon Musk has announced plans to charge $8 a month for verification.

Here is some useful vocabulary to help you understand Twitter sacking 50% of employees!

Vocabulary From The News!

To sack

To sack /sak/ – dismiss from employment

Twitter owner Elon Musk said he had “no choice” after sacking 50% of the companies employees

To take over

Take over – assume control of something

Musk took over Twitter recently in a $44bn deal

Severance

Severance /ˈsɛv(ə)r(ə)ns/ – dismissal or discharge from employment

Musk defended his decision, claiming all employees were offered 3 months severance pay

Span

Span /span/ – extend across (a period of time or a range of subjects)

The job cuts span the globe and all of Twitter’s departments

Moderation

Moderation /mɒdəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ the action of making something less extreme, intense, or violent

There are concerns that Twitter’s content moderation staff could be reduced

To axe

To axe /aks/ – cut or strike with an axe, especially violently or destructively

Many of the axed employees found out they lost their jobs on Friday

Revenue

Revenue /ˈrɛvənjuː/ – income, especially when of an organization and of a substantial nature

Most of Twitter’s revenue comes from advertising, but major companies are unsure about advertising with Musk in charge

To verify

To verify /ˈvɛrɪfʌɪ/ – make sure or demonstrate that (something) is true, accurate, or justified

Elon Musk plans to increase revenue by charging $8 a month for verified status (and the blue tick)

Who do you think of Elon Musk?

Try using this vocabulary to make some sentences in the comments!

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