She Went Viral For Sleeping In Twitter's Office But Told Elon Musk 'I Don't Want To Push The Team To Die' — His Answer? Shocking But Expected

Esther Crawford became an internet sensation when a photo of her sleeping in Twitter's office went viral during the chaotic days after Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. The image symbolized the intense work culture that Musk imposed, where employees were expected to work around the clock. But while the photo made Crawford look like the poster child for Musk's "hardcore" work ethic, the reality was much more complicated.

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Crawford, who was a director at Twitter, publicly embraced the long hours and grueling demands, even joking about her photo on social media. Nevertheless, behind the scenes, she was honestly and seriously worried about the toll this work culture was taking on her team.

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According to a story adapted from “Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter,” a new book about Musk's takeover, Crawford privately told Musk that she didn't want her team pushed to the point of collapse. "I don't want to push the team to die over this," she reportedly said.

Musk's response? He allegedly laughed and said, "Well, push them to just before they die."

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For anyone familiar with how Musk runs things, his response is surprising yet typical. Since he took over Twitter, he’s shown that he expects employees to go all out, even if it means sacrificing their personal lives. Workers were pushed to commit to a very intense work environment, with some even sleeping in the office and attending late-night meetings to hit tight deadlines.

“Twitter often felt like a place that kept squandering its own potential,” Crawford said in a 2023 post. She was “cautiously optimistic” and shared that although she didn't know much about Musk, she saw him as the guy who built incredible and enduring companies like Tesla and SpaceX and thought that perhaps his private ownership could shake things up and breathe new life into the company.

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Recently, though, Musk increased the pressure on X employees by making them justify their contributions to the company to get their stock options, according to The Verge. Now, employees have to write a one-page summary of their work to qualify for stock grants, which has only added to the already tense atmosphere at the company.

While Crawford’s viral photo painted a picture of someone who was fully on board with Musk's vision, the reality was that she was concerned about the well-being of her team. Despite her dedication, she was eventually laid off in early 2023, along with many others who had remained loyal during Musk's tumultuous takeover.

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