Twitter Inc’s head of French operations, Damien Viel, said he was leaving the social media platform, whose new owner Elon Musk recently gutted top executives and enforced sudden layoffs at the company.
“It’s over,” Viel tweeted on Sunday, saying thank you to his team in France, which he headed for the last seven years. Viel verified he was quitting Twitter in a separate message to Reuters.
https://twitter.com/damienviel/status/1594323607970369539
He did not specify the reasons for his departure and would not say how many employees Twitter had in France either before or after Musk’s acquisition of the company in October.
Labour laws in France hinder companies from sacking permanent employees overnight. France-based firms have to formally inform employees they plan to dismiss them in advance, normally via a letter with acknowledgment of receipt.
They also have to abide by certain notice periods, depending on the seniority of the staff and the nature of the dismissal. For firings affecting a number of employees within 30 days, companies must also follow certain processes, which involve notifying staff, staff representatives, and the ministry of labour.
This means the entire procedure takes at least several weeks and up to several months. A spokesperson for Twitter in France hasn’t responded to messages requesting comment since Musk’s takeover last month.
Buy Crypto NowTwitter has had a rough ride since the world’s wealthiest person took ownership. It has laid off staff worldwide by about half, while Musk has mentioned the possibility of the social media platform going bankrupt.
He recently told staff to ponder whether they wanted to go on “working long hours at high intensity” or take a severance package of three months’ pay.
