Nearly two years after a significant reduction in its workforce, X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, is on a hiring spree to rebuild its security and safety teams. The company, led by Elon Musk, is now posting job listings to fill roles aimed at moderating content and enhancing platform security.
In the past month, X has advertised around 24 new positions, with roles evenly distributed between its safety and cybersecurity teams. The openings include high-profile positions such as director of strategic response and government affairs managers within the safety team, as well as several security engineers and a threat intelligence specialist for the cybersecurity team.
This hiring initiative marks a notable shift from the company’s drastic layoffs following Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in late 2022. During the acquisition, X underwent significant workforce reductions. By April 2023, Musk had cut approximately 6,000 jobs, reducing the company’s headcount to around 1,500 employees.
The layoffs particularly impacted the trust and safety teams. According to a January 2024 statement following an inquiry by Australia’s online safety commissioner, X had reduced its trust and safety staff by 80% since Musk’s takeover. Before the acquisition, the company employed 279 engineers dedicated to trust and safety. By the end of May 2023, this number had dwindled to 55.
The broader cuts extended beyond just the trust and safety teams. X reported a reduction in its overall trust and safety workforce from 4,062 employees to 2,849. Additionally, the content moderation team saw its size shrink from 107 to 51 full-time employees, while contracted moderators decreased from 2,613 to 2,305, according to the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s report.
The recent hiring efforts by X suggest a strategic pivot towards bolstering its safety infrastructure and cybersecurity capabilities. The new roles are crucial as the company aims to improve its content moderation practices and strengthen its defenses against security threats. The scale of these new hires, while modest compared to the previous layoffs, represents a step towards addressing the gaps left by the earlier reductions.
For X, rebuilding these teams is essential not only for improving platform safety but also for restoring user trust in the wake of substantial workforce reductions. As the company continues to evolve under Musk’s leadership, the effectiveness of these new hires in addressing previous shortcomings will be closely watched.
In conclusion, X’s latest hiring drive highlights its commitment to enhancing its safety and security measures. As the company recovers from significant staff cuts, these new roles will play a critical part in shaping the future of its content moderation and cybersecurity strategies.