# Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter - now the Pit edition (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442 "2022-04-25T22:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 180
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3584 "2023-03-06T23:46:34Z")
Elmo is shadowed by two burly bodyguards where ever he goes at Twitter headquarters. > A Twitter engineer identified only as Sam told BBC News: “Wherever he goes in the office, there are at least two bodyguards—very bulky, tall, Hollywood movie bodyguards. Even when [he goes] to the restroom.” He said the constant use of bodyguards suggested that Musk, who has sacked a huge number of Twitter staff including coders, does not trust his remaining staff at Twitter HQ in San Francisco. > **[Bodyguards Follow Elon Musk Everywhere at Twitter HQ, Even to Restroom, Says...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/bodyguards-follow-elon-musk-everywhere-at-twitter-hq-even-to-restroom-says-engineer)** > > The bodyguards are “tall” and “bulky” like something out of a Hollywood movie, a Twitter engineer said. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3585 "2023-03-06T23:58:15Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Elmo is shadowed by two burly bodyguards where ever he goes at Twitter headquarters. Hmm, where have I seen this before… [![](https://media.tenor.com/9UIoEkbUBmsAAAAd/the-simpsons-bill-gates.gif) ](https://media.tenor.com/9UIoEkbUBmsAAAAd/the-simpsons-bill-gates.gif) ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3586 "2023-03-07T00:53:43Z")
As I speculated above, [they’re down to a single SRE](https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/6/23627875/twitter-outage-how-it-happened-engineer-api-shut-down). If this is true, this constitutes formal proof that Musk is a fucking moron. > [@The Verge](#): > > But in a sign of just how deep Elon Musk’s cuts to the company have been, only one site reliability engineer has been staffed on the project, we’re told. On Monday, the engineer made a “bad configuration change” that “basically broke the Twitter API,” according to a current employee. As I guessed, it seems [Musk has removed the other quality controls](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/06/elon-musk-twitter-outages/) intended to prevent this: > [@WaPo](#): > > Before Musk’s takeover, the company had a risk evaluation team that vetted product changes for anticipated problems. Twitter’s risk evaluation process was geared at flagging potential problems before they arose. But the team was laid off after Musk’s takeover, The Washington Post [reported](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/11/twitter-fake-verified-accounts/?itid=lk_inline_manual_14), leading to product rollouts that were riddled with bugs. And Musk’s excuse: "The code stack is extremely brittle for no good reason. Will ultimately need a complete rewrite.” What’s that thing about the craftsman who blames his tools? ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3587 "2023-03-07T01:28:16Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > If this is true, this constitutes formal proof that Musk is a fucking moron. That cannot be true. He’s rich and people say nice things about him. This is proof he’s a genius. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3588 "2023-03-07T01:33:11Z")
> ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3589 "2023-03-07T01:57:26Z")
As t approaches infinity, all nerds end up being pro-eugenics. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3590 "2023-03-07T01:59:24Z")
Well, that makes sense. Doesn’t he have 10 kids? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3591 "2023-03-07T05:39:02Z")
A Twitter employee who previously founded one of Iceland’s largest tech startups had to go on Twitter to try and get Elmo to answer whether he’d been fired or not - and when the employee explained what he did for the company and what projects he’d worked on, Elmo assumed he was making a “deez nuts” joke and then posted an Office Space meme. > ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3592 "2023-03-07T05:42:26Z")
Jesus. What an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3593 "2023-03-07T05:59:59Z")
> **[Elon Musk Demands Twitter Servers Explain What All These Wires For](https://www.theonion.com/elon-musk-demands-twitter-servers-explain-what-all-thes-1849786227)** > > SAN FRANCISCO—As part of his initiative to streamline the back end of the platform, Elon Musk reportedly demanded Tuesday that the remaining Twitter servers explain to him in detail what all the wires were for. “These ones here—what do they do,... ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3594 "2023-03-07T12:04:11Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A Twitter employee who previously founded one of Iceland’s largest tech startups had to go on Twitter to try and get Elmo to answer whether he’d been fired or not - and when the employee explained what he did for the company and what projects he’d worked on, Elmo assumed he was making a “deez nuts” joke and then posted an Office Space meme. I feel for these folks who did nothing wrong except try to keep doing their jobs after being acquired by an idiot sociopath. But god, it’s frustrating to watch how they repeatedly fuck it up by engaging with him and playing his game. The only correct response to Musk here is “I’m requesting written confirmation of my employment status and compensation that’s legally owed to me. Going forward you can send all correspondence to my counsel at (address) who specializes in labor law”. Not “well sir I did a really good job redesigning some UI widgets for you, and I’d really like some extra headpats, if you can spare a couple” It ought to be clear to _everyone_ at this point that Musk’s shtick of “tell me what you do” is never a sincere question. Ever. It’s always Musk trying to figure out whether he can afford to let someone walk after he he humiliates them. Like… how do you not know who you’re working for at this point, how are people still walking into the trap of believing Musk feels any sense of obligation to anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3595 "2023-03-07T12:06:30Z")
My line was “of course I tested it. Did the same thing then, too”. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3596 "2023-03-07T12:37:34Z")
I simply don’t understand why anyone would work in an environment like that. These workers aren’t trapped- they have marketable skills. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3597 "2023-03-07T12:41:16Z")
Quite a few are trapped because they’re on a H1B Visa. They have 60 (iirc) days to find a new job or get deported. Those are the ones for whom I feel the most. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3598 "2023-03-07T12:44:23Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > It ought to be clear to _everyone_ at this point that Musk’s shtick of “tell me what you do” is never a sincere question. Ever. It’s always Musk trying to figure out whether he can afford to let someone walk after he he humiliates them. > > Like… how do you not know who you’re working for at this point, how are people still walking into the trap of believing Musk feels any sense of obligation to anyone? Well said. While I obviously feel for this guy getting two barrels of Elon’s assholeness straight to the face in public, his response was pretty terrible. Why not mention Figma by name instead of vaguely referring to some SaaS product? “Led prioritization,” “Led design crits,” “Worked on efforts,” those all sound way too vague, especially for a company that’s clearly not invested in design anymore. I wish I could share my friends’ response to that some question here, it was extremely direct and effective. He should have just said, “What work have YOU been doing since your company doesn’t even have a functioning HR department? Why can’t you just give me a straight answer?” ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3599 "2023-03-07T13:06:33Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > Quite a few are trapped because they’re on a H1B Visa. They have 60 (iirc) days to find a new job or get deported. Those are the ones for whom I feel the most. Ah. Good point. Halli is from Finland, so I’m guessing he needs the clarity in status to make his follow-on arrangements. Though for the life of me I can’t figure out why a person wouldn’t just happily collect paychecks from an obviously incompetent company who can’t manage payroll or HR, while leisurely figuring out your next move. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3600 "2023-03-07T13:08:04Z")
He probably has integrity and work ethic. What a sucker. 😜 Milk the billionaire for all he’s worth! Agile integrity! ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3601 "2023-03-07T13:43:03Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > The only correct response to Musk here is “I’m requesting written confirmation of my employment status and compensation that’s legally owed to me. Going forward you can send all correspondence to my counsel at (address) who specializes in labor law”. Not “well sir I did a really good job redesigning some UI widgets for you, and I’d really like some extra headpats, if you can spare a couple” I don’t get the impression that he was looking for a headpat. He had already been asking the normal way about if it he was fired and thought this was the best way to actually get an answer on it (and he already had been fired regardless of whether Elon/twitter think they’d fired him - may have been wanting Elon to either confirm the facts or get caught in a lie). It doesn’t seem like he had any illusions about how it would go, and anyone with a brain realized that the exchange makes Elon look 100 times worse than this dude. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3602 "2023-03-07T13:49:01Z")
> [@DeadTreasSecretaries](#): > > I don’t get the impression that he was looking for a headpat. He had already been asking the normal way about if it he was fired and thought this was the best way to actually get an answer on it (and he already had been fired regardless of whether Elon/twitter think they’d fired him - may have been wanting Elon to either confirm the facts or get caught in a lie). The problem was in going along with Elon conducting an exit interview on open Twitter. It should have been obvious that it would just be an excuse to dismiss and deprecate. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3603 "2023-03-07T13:51:18Z")
My read on the convo was that he listed off what he did so Elon couldn’t claim he didn’t know who he was. In his position I genuinely wouldn’t feel humiliated. I would be thinking “wow another confirmation of what a dumbass this guy is.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=179) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=181)