Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), had an unconventional way of offering a job to a former Twitter executive, Kayvon Beykpour. Beykpour, who used to lead product development at Twitter, was let go by the previous CEO just before Musk bought the company in 2022. However, Musk still wanted him to work on the platform.
Beykpour's first chat with Musk was over FaceTime, followed by an in-person meeting at Twitter's office. They discussed the history and future of Twitter for about two hours. During their conversation, Musk asked Beykpour if he wanted to continue working on Twitter's product.
Musk's approach was casual and humorous. He used the Tinder metaphor of "swiping right" to indicate Beykpour's acceptance of the offer. "Do you want to just like come — You seem like you care about the product and you don't have dumb ideas. Do you want to come hang out?" Musk asked.
Beykpour ultimately decided to move on from Twitter. He felt he had dedicated enough time to shaping the product and believed it was time for someone else, especially Musk, to take the reins.
After acquiring Twitter, Musk significantly reduced the workforce. He reportedly let go of over 6,000 employees, which constituted approximately 80% of the staff. This decision led to lawsuits from former executives, who claim they are owed over $128 million in severance pay. Another former Twitter boss alleges that the company failed to pay approximately $500 million to fired staff.