Elon Musk plans to chop Twitter’s workforce by virtually 75% after he finalizes the deal to purchase the social media firm, a transfer that’s prone to trigger chaos amongst workers, in response to a brand new report from the Washington Post. And that’s to say nothing of Musk’s plan to reinstate the accounts of far-right figures like former president Donald Trump.

The information comes as Bloomberg News experiences Musk is on monitor to really shut the deal and purchase Twitter after months of backpedaling and litigation. And to prime all of it off, President Joe Biden’s administration is alleged to be wanting on the billionaire’s actions with each Starlink and Twitter, involved that Musk’s friendliness with autocrats may pose a risk to nationwide safety, in response to yet one more report from Bloomberg News.

Musk instructed buyers he was “obviously overpaying” for Twitter throughout a Tesla earnings name on Wednesday, however believes he can flip the corporate round after he takes it non-public. The billionaire had initially provided to purchase the corporate for $44 billion, however tried to again out over claims Twitter has too many bots. But that excuse hasn’t been holding up in court docket after Twitter sued Musk to power him to consummate the deal.

The court-issued deadline for ending the deal is October 28, which is only a week away, and Bloomberg insists it’s going to occur in time, citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter.” But some powerful months are most likely immediately forward as Musk believes Twitter’s 7,500 individual workforce is just too bloated. Musk want to hearth roughly 5,500 folks, in response to the Washington Post.

Musk has mentioned he plans to double income at Twitter in simply three years whereas tripling the variety of each day customers the social media service receives. How does Musk plan to do this with such a small workers? The reply could also be in textual content messages the billionaire exchanged with tech investor Jason Calacanis, made public final month as a part of Twitter’s litigation.

Calacanis inundated Musk with quite a few concepts for enhancing Twitter, together with increasing the variety of verified customers, giving paid customers higher perks, and paying a “Creator Team” to publish content material to Twitter first.

Calacanis additionally prompt a brand new requirement that Twitter workers come into the workplace not less than two days per week, one thing he believed would result in about 20% of the workforce leaving voluntarily. Musk appeared extraordinarily receptive to the entire concepts Calacanis put ahead.

“Want to be a strategic advisor if this works out?” Musk texted Calacanis on April 23.

“100%” Calacanis replied. “Board member, advisor, whatever… you have my sword.”

The White House can be involved that Musk’s enterprise choices would possibly pose a danger to U.S. nationwide safety, particularly since his firm SpaceX will get billions of {dollars} in funding from the U.S. authorities. And whereas there are not any indicators that Musk’s Twitter deal or Starlink contracts are at the moment beneath nationwide safety overview by the U.S. Treasury, that might change shortly.

Why would the Biden administration be involved that Musk would possibly weaken nationwide safety? For starters, Musk’s proximity to the Chinese Communist Party isn’t an amazing look. Musk lately prompt that Taiwan ought to cede some democratic management to the Chinese Communist Party, one thing that received him the praises of officers in Beijing.

But Musk has additionally parroted Russian speaking factors concerning the battle in Ukraine, suggesting that Ukraine ought to enable Vladimir Putin to maintain Crimea, an space the Russian autocrat illegally annexed in 2014. More lately, Putin seized 4 extra sections of Ukraine, and Musk has mentioned he now not desires to fund any Starlink satellite tv for pc web service within the war-torn nation. Musk had billed Starlink in Ukraine as a sort of charitable donation, however has formally requested the Pentagon to choose up the tab.

Musk’s enterprise with Twitter additionally contains international buyers, one thing the White House is worried about given the quantity of information the social media firm has on Americans. Investors who’ve gone in with Musk on the Twitter deal reportedly embody Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s Sovereign Wealth Fund.

For his half, Musk may very well welcome a nationwide safety overview of the Twitter deal, one thing he clearly desires no a part of anymore. After the Bloomberg story broke late Wednesday, one Twitter person commented that it might be “hysterical if the government stopped Elon from over paying for Twitter.” Musk replied with two emjois: The purple 100 and crying-laughing.