Twitter’s head of French operations, Damien Viel, said he was quitting the social media platform, whose new owner, Elon Musk, recently fired top executives and enforced steep job cuts at the company. “It’s over,” Viel tweeted last Sunday, thanking his team in France, which he led for the last seven years.
“It’s over. Pride, honor, and mission accomplished. Goodbye #twitterfrance. What an adventure! What a team! What encounters! “Thank you to all for these 7 amazing and intense years,” Viel, the head of the company’s operations in the country, tweeted on Sunday.
He didn’t elaborate on the circumstances of his departure and declined to say how many people Twitter employed in France either before or after Musk’s takeover of the company last month. Twitter has had a bumpy ride since Musk, the world’s richest person, took charge. He recently told employees to consider whether they wanted to stay and “work long hours at high intensity” or take a severance package of three months’ pay.
Viel is the latest senior executive to resign from Twitter following Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform in late October. Other top executives who have left include Twitter’s former head of moderation and safety, Yoel Roth, and the company’s former Chief Information Security Officer, Lea Kissner.
Labor laws in France prevent companies from firing permanent employees overnight. France-based companies have to formally inform staff they intend to dismiss their plans ahead of time, typically via a letter with an acknowledgment of receipt. They also have to respect certain notice periods, depending on the nature of the dismissal and the seniority of the staff. For dismissals affecting several employees within 30 days, companies must also follow certain procedures, which entail informing staff, staff representatives, and the ministry of labor. This means the whole process takes at least several weeks and possibly several months.