Twitter layoffs hit Canadian office, involve at least two of the country’s top staff

TORONTO –

Two of Twitter Canada’s most senior leaders are part of the social media giant’s global layoffs orchestrated by new owner Elon Musk.

Paul Burns, managing director of the company’s Canadian operations, and Michele Austin, Twitter’s director of public policy for the U.S. and Canada, announced they were part of the cuts on social media Friday.

Burns, who joined the company in 2018, says on Twitter that his last 4.5 years were “wild” and thanked the people he worked with for making the platform “so special.”

Austin, who has been with Twitter since 2018 and made several appearances before government committees, says on LinkedIn that she is “heartbroken” to announce her departure, but “loved every single minute” of her time at the company.

The layoffs come after a letter to employees obtained by multiple media outlets announced the cuts would take place Friday “to ensure the company’s success moving forward.”

Musk, who also runs SpaceX and Tesla, spent US$44 billion to purchase Twitter roughly a week ago. A 2021 filing made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows Twitter employs 7,500 people.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2022