X hiring to rebuild safety, cybersecurity teams after massive layoffs

X, formerly known as Twitter, is hiring new employees to bolster its trust, safety, and cybersecurity teams nearly two years after massive layoffs.

The social media company, owned by Elon Musk, recently posted 24 job openings, with positions ranging from strategic response directors to security engineers.

This move comes after the company drastically reduced its workforce following Musk’s $44 billion acquisition in late 2022.

After the acquisition, Musk reduced Twitter’s workforce by 6,000 employees, leaving only 1,500 workers. The trust and safety teams were particularly affected, with an 80% reduction in staff. The recent job listings indicate that X is now trying to strengthen its safety measures, especially after announcing the creation of a new Trust and Safety center in Austin, Texas.

The layoffs have also led to the departure of senior leadership in these critical areas, including the company’s Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Lea Kissner, and Trust and Safety Lead, Ella Irwin.

The reduction in staff has reportedly hindered X’s ability to secure its platform and manage content moderation issues globally. The situation came to a head recently when Brazil’s Supreme Court effectively banned X after Musk refused to remove misinformation-spreading accounts.

Despite these challenges, X is moving forward with its hiring efforts, although the company has not provided further details about the new hires or its current team size.

A screenshot of the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s report on X, which included statistics on X’s job cuts from its trust and safety and content moderation teams.
Image Credits: TechCrunch