Jack Dorsey made one of his first hard choices since becoming chief executive officer of Twitter Inc. last week: Who should be let go.
Twitter cut as many as 336 jobs, or about 8 per cent of its global workforce.
Most of the affected positions were in the product and engineering departments.
Dorsey, a co-founder of the company, tweeted the announcement, saying decision to make the cuts was tough but necessary.
"We are doing this with the utmost respect for each and every person," he wrote in a letter to staff.
"This isn't easy. But it is right. The world needs a strong Twitter and this is another step to get there."
Not everyone was happy about the cuts, particularly how they were announced.
Bart Teeuwisse, a senior software engineer for Twitter, found out he had been sacked when he was prevented from logging onto his work email account from home, and tweeted a screenshot.
He then followed up with a tweet explaining that his bosses had left a message on his voicemail.
Dorsey has pledged to make Twitter more accessible. While hardcore users cherish its rapid- fire, text-heavy format, others find the service impenetrable and confusing.
As a result, many sign up and then drop out, hampering Twitter's growth and long-term prospects. The company is working to improve its product, making it easier for people to join and understand how to find good content.
Twitter said third-quarter revenue should be at or above the high end of its previously forecast range of $545 million to $560 million.
The restructuring makes sense because of "the lack of cohesion in the company's mission and lack of focus," James Cakmak, an analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co., wrote in a note to investors. Cakmak said Facebook had a similar-sized workforce in 2012 when it had $5 billion in revenue. Analysts on average estimate Twitter will generate $2.2 billion this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
- Additional reporting Washington Post