Elon Musk is bringing in new faces for Twitter 2.0 — including his cousins and Bari Weiss
Happy Friday Eve, readers. The makeup of Elon Musk's Twitter is changing, and not just because the offices are now bedrooms.
With the majority of the company's former staff having been laid off — or fired, or resigned — Musk has brought in some of his own picks to work at Twitter 2.0. The new guard includes some of his family members, a conservative commentator, and enthusiastic "interns."
I'm your host, Jordan Parker Erb. There's more on the new faces at Musk's social media company below, so let's get to it.
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1. Elon Musk is bringing in new faces for Twitter 2.0. As Musk moves towards a new, "hardcore" version of the social media company, he's begun bringing in new people — even as about 70% of its staff have been laid off or fired or have resigned since his takeover.
- Among Musk's latest hires are two of his cousins, according to people familiar with the matter. One of the cousins works on software-engineering projects, while the other is seen more as "a fixer type," helping Musk out with various needs.
- Dozens of Tesla engineers also remain at Twitter, along with staffers from The Boring Company, including its operations chief, Jehn Balajadia.
- Bari Weiss, a conservative newsletter writer, also has been given access to Twitter's systems, with Musk saying she would take part in releasing what he's dubbed "the Twitter files."
- There are so many such Musk hires and access requests at Twitter that Ross Nordeen, a technical program manager from Tesla, has now been brought into Twitter to manage them.
- And these aren't the only new faces at Twitter — hundreds of people have applied for a chance to work at Musk's new company.
In other news:
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8. These 20 companies are hiring a ton of tech workers. With recently laid-off people trying to figure out their next steps, Indeed put together a list of firms that are seeing growth in tech jobs. From Deloitte to VMware, see which companies are hiring.
Odds and ends:
9. These are the coolest tech gifts you can buy for less than $50. We rounded up the best presents to give — that won't break the bank. From gaming accessories to quirky gadgets, here are 30 inexpensive gift ideas.
10. Can you guess the most-searched word on Google this year? Hint: The word is the name of an online game that took the internet by storm earlier this year. See if you guessed correctly.
What we're watching today:
- Disney+ is introducing a $7.99 ad-supported subscription offering.
- MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 Festival is happening today.
- Oracle, Broadcom, and others are reporting earnings. Keep up with earnings here.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.