Elon Musk moved to set more than the Twitter bird free, telling staff many of them would be laid off barely a week after completing a contentious $44 billion acquisition of the social media site.

In his first official communication with employees, the self-proclaimed chief twit told staff layoffs were necessery to deliver future success.

Multiple media outlets report Musk plans to cull around 3,700 employees today (4 November), reckoned to be about half of its total staff.

The move forms part of Musk’s turnaround plan for Twitter, which has faced struggles with profitability. He is also looking to subscription fees as a means of raising revenue.

Reuters stated Twitter offices have been temporarily closed, with staff expected to learn their fate by 4pm GMT, though some have reportedly stated they are already cut off from company resources including email.

Upon completion of the acquisition, Musk sacked Twitter’s CEO, CFO and legal adviser.