May 2, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
- Elon Musk’s Twitter is ending meal allowances for staff, according to Platformer’s Zoë Schiffer.
- Twitter will still provide coffee and snacks, per Schiffer’s tweet, which cited an internal email.
- Since his takeover, Musk has embarked on a cost-cutting spree.
Meal allowances will soon be a thing of the past for Twitter employees, according to a tweet from Zoë Schiffer, a journalist at Platformer.
Elon Musk’s Twitter is set to scrap a number of employee benefits during this quarter, according to an internal email seen by Schiffer. This includes commuting perks and expensing meals, per Schiffer.
Since Musk took over Twitter in late October, reports suggest he has made it his mission to cut costs across the company. As Insider’s Kali Hays reported on Thursday, Musk has most recently cut a major fertility benefit for Twitter employees.
The food options available for Twitter staff are one of the employees’ perks which has taken a hit. Two freebies that are expected to stay are snacks and coffee, per Schiffer, who cited the internal email.
Twitter was planning to charge workers for office lunches that were previously free of charge in the company canteen, The New York Times reported on November 11, citing sources. Shortly after the report, Musk tweeted that free lunches were costing Twitter more than $400 per meal because “almost no one came to the office.”
Tracy Hawkins, a former Twitter employee, quote-tweeted Musk, saying his claim was a “lie” and the meals cost between $20 and $25 a day per person.
Twitter’s cafeteria menu then changed, according to a report by The Times. One Twitter worker told the publication that the menu at the company’s New York office no longer listed grilled shrimp as an option. The cafeteria had a salad bar, as well as two types of macaroni and cheese, the employee told The Times.
In an email to employees in late November, Twitter said it was making changes to its food and beverage program to “better control costs” and would “partially” pay for some options, Insider reported. The company added that it would still provide coffee and snacks for all employees.
Twitter informed staff in the same email that several benefits were being “discontinued,” including home internet costs, wellness and productivity allowances, and training expenses.
Twitter didn’t immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
