Twitter Told Ex-Employees Severance Emails Were ‘Not Phishing’

Image: Leon Neal (Getty Images)

Elon Musk is having a hard time leaving. Twitter had to reassure its sacked employees that an email sent early Saturday morning was “not a phishing attempt” after it went straight to their spam boxes. The email, sent from [email protected] rather than a @twitter.com address, contained the separation contracts of former Twitter employees and provided information about severance pay.

Former Twitter employee Parker Lyons wrote on Saturday, “If you’re wondering about the current state of Twitter, many people just received their sharing agreements in their spam folders, pointing to a URL that was logged this morning by a 1 star seller. [Better Business Bureau] assessment.” He continued, “If still there, I would report this as phishing.”

The email included login information for CPT Group’s website, where former employees were told they could view the full severance agreement, but many were left unsure if it was legal. Twitter’s HR department sent a follow-up email confirming that the email was intentional.

“We are writing to confirm that we have engaged a third party, CPT Group, to assist in the distribution of Separation Agreements from Twitter in the United States,” the email said, according to Insider.

He continued, “This email was an official company communication and is not a phishing attempt. If you did not receive your agreement by email, please check your email folder.”

G/O Media may receive a commission

$50 off pre-orders

Car ring camera

It’s a camera. For your car.
Ring Car Cam’s dual-view HD cameras capture activity in and around your car in HD detail.

CPT Group did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment. According to its website, his company is based in Irvine, California, and is a “leading provider of notification management services and classroom solutions.”

Twitter, which no longer has a media department, did not respond to a request for comment, as all emails were returned as undeliverable.

The email linked the former employees to a Twitter account on CPT’s website, which said: “As you know, we have had to reduce our global workforce to ensure the success of the company going forward. forward and your employment is affected.

“Since we notified you of your status, you have remained on non-work notice, employed and on the payroll, and will continue to do so until your separation date. You are also entitled to an additional severance if you sign a severance agreement and are released.”

Thousands of Twitter employees were laid off in November, just weeks after Elon Musk took over the social media platform, cutting more than half of its workforce. Since the layoffs, former Twitter employees have been waiting for their severance packages, which Musk had said would provide three months of paid severance in exchange for employees refraining from suing Twitter .