Twitter's Top Global Policy Official Departs As Layoffs Continue
Twitter's Global vice-president for public policy Sinead McSweeney has left the company amid additional layoffs
Twitter Inc's public policy chief has left the company amid additional layoffs to the unit on Thursday, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as billionaire owner Elon Musk continues to slash costs.
Sinead McSweeney, global vice president for public policy, has left Twitter, according to two sources. McSweeney's departure has not been previously reported.
The layoffs and departures of a high-ranking leader comes as regulators around the globe question Twitter's content moderation work and protection of user data after Musk cut the staff from more than 7,000 to under 2,000.
The public policy team is responsible for interacting with lawmakers and civil society on issues including free speech, privacy and online safety.
It handles requests from governments and civil rights groups to remove problematic content and sets rules to protect vulnerable users. With fewer staff, backlogs could increase and some policies in development could be ignored, one of the sources said.
Nick Pickles, senior director for global public policy strategy, has taken over McSweeney's role, the two sources said.
McSweeney, Pickles, Musk and Twitter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last month, European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton told Musk the platform faces "huge work ahead" to comply with European regulations on content moderation, removing disinformation and limiting targeted advertising.
The EU will conduct a "stress test" at Twitter's headquarters early next year to assess compliance.
A senior German official said on Thursday that the EU should directly monitor Twitter because its erratic behavior under Musk posed a threat to free speech.
One source told Reuters that half of the 30 remaining members of Twitter's public policy team were cut on Wednesday, implying 15 people were laid off.
The layoffs were first reported by The Information.
Media reports this week said McSweeney, who is based in Dublin, settled with Twitter after winning a temporary court injunction to stop the company from firing her after she did not respond to a company-wide email from Musk demanding that employees agree to a "hardcore" culture or leave.
Musk said Wednesday that Twitter was facing a "negative cash flow situation of $3 billion" next year and was the reason why he has moved to aggressively cut costs.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Catch all the
Corporate newsand Updates on Live Mint. Download The
Mint News Appto get Daily
Market UpdatesBusiness News.
Germany's Fragmented Government: A Crisis Of Leadership And Direction
Germany's government is struggling to maintain unity as internal conflicts within the coalition continue to escalate. Th... Read more
Strong Yen Reflects Positive Sentiment As Asian Equities Gain
The Japanese yen strengthened, reflecting positive sentiment as Asian equities posted gains. This trend highlights inves... Read more
Chinas Response To U.S. Tariffs: Threats And Predictions
Following the recent announcement by the Biden administration to impose new tariffs targeting $18 billion worth of Chine... Read more
U.S. Military Aid To Ukraine: Implications And Impact
In the shadow of escalating tensions and ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's re... Read more
UN Secretary-General Urges Humanitarian Ceasefire In Gaza Amid Escalating Violence
As violence continues to escalate in Gaza, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has issued a ... Read more
Driving Economic Transformation: China's Rmb1 Trillion Debt Sale
The Strategic Allocation of Debt Proceeds: China's debt proceeds are earmarked for strategic sectors that are poised to... Read more