Twitter’s ambiguous answers to employee questions, Boeing shares financial updates with its workforce, and more

Hi there, comms connoisseurs.

Let’s explore some notable stories from April 25-28, 2022 — and extract a few useful messaging takeaways along the way:

1. What Musk’s Twitter acquisition says about employee comms

As rumors of Elon Musk’s imminent $44 billion Twitter purchase began to dominate the week’s news cycle on Monday, Twitter executives kept employees in the dark about what the acquisition would mean for them with ambiguous answers and conflicting messages.

The New York Times reports:

In an earlier attempt to quell financial worries, Sean Edgett, Twitter’s general counsel, told employees that any potential buyer would most likely be required to keep employee equity “as is” or provide equivalent compensation, like a cash award.

Mr. Edgett, who made his comments before the deal with Mr. Musk was announced, stressed that employees should not view his guidance as insight into the deal-making. “This is meant to provide some peace of mind and explain how these things typically work, not because we believe there will be one outcome versus another,” he wrote in messages to employees reviewed by The Times.

After the deal was official, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tried to reassure employees: