--- title: "Elon Musk Is Hiring Relatives at Twitter in Literal Nepotism" description: "After obliterating Twitter's workforce, the company's new CEO Elon Musk is desperately trying to piece together a workforce to keep the lights on." date: "2022-12-09" modified: "2022-12-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-hires-relatives-at-twitter" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Is Hiring Relatives at Twitter in Literal Nepotism ![After obliterating Twitter's workforce, the company's new CEO Elon Musk is desperately trying to piece together a workforce to keep the lights on.]() *\Image: Elon Musk via Twitter\* ## Hiring Cousins After [obliterating Twitter's workforce](), the company's new CEO Elon Musk is desperately trying to piece together a team that can keep the lights on — but that hasn't stopped him from hiring his own relatives, [*Insider* reports](). Specifically, Musk has hired at least two of his cousins, James and Andrew Musk, who reportedly now work full time at the social media company. Apart from the literal nepotism, *Insider* reports that Musk has also roped in about 150 people who used to work his other companies, [including Tesla engineers]() and staff from The Boring Company who are being referred to as "Musk's goons" by existing employees. ## Yes, Elon Musk's indiscriminate mass layoffs, as well as the [ensuing resignations](), have cut the company's 7,500-employee workforce by [roughly 70 percent](). Several core teams, including those tasked with running the [company's moderation system](), have all but disappeared, seemingly in Musk's apparent attempts to bring "free speech" to the platform. Musk has also surrounded himself with a host of staffers who are reportedly tasked with "all kinds of things," from getting coffee to coordinating meetings, according to *Insider*'s sources. ## Musk Army Meanwhile, Musk has been [sleeping at the company's headquarters]() in San Francisco, as well as providing employees with access to "[sad hotel rooms]()" in the form of conference rooms that have been hastily transformed into lackluster bedrooms. It's clear by this point that Musk is laser focused on remaking the social giant in his image — even if that includes hooking up members of his own family with cushy gigs. Whether Musk's new Twitter army will be able to turn things around and stop the company's bleeding remains to be seen. **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk keeps bringing in new people to Twitter, like enthusiastic interns, cousins, and even Bari Weiss]() \[*Insider*\] **More on Elon Musk:** [*Realizing Its Mistake, Twitter Pleads With Fired Employees to Come Back*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()