Elon Musk fired half of Twitter's staff when he took over the company, and scores more are quitting upon being told to report to the building with a commitment to an "extremely hardcore" work ethic.
Alex McFarland of Truth for a New Generation says today's younger workforce has lost the will to excel – or even to work hard.
"We're living in a time of relativism, hedonism, and, as Jordan Peterson warns against, rapid narcissism: It's all about me, it has to be my way, and if things aren't to my liking, I will have a tantrum," McFarland observes.
Many Twitter employees, he says, seem to be throwing a tantrum, with hashtags like #RIPTwitter and #TwitterTakeover trending. Some worry that the layoffs and defections will kill the company, but McFarland points out that nearly everyone had the opportunity to stay if they were simply willing to commit. And even those choosing to leave are being treated well.
"I think he's being very gracious," he says about Musk. "He's given a realistic, measurable goal. And for those that opt not to stay with the company, he's giving three months' severance, which he doesn't have to do."
Musk himself says the best people are staying and that the company will be fine. McFarland tends to believe him.
"Elon Musk is it visionary's visionary," the apologist submits. "Elon Musk belongs in the same vernacular as the Wright brothers, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, [and] Howard Hughes."
What the defections say about the American work ethic, however, is not as encouraging.
"In the absence of a moral foundation, rampant narcissism is paving the way for fascism," McFarland concludes.
