Twitter has been handing out stock as well as cash bonuses in order to retain some of their most talented employees, as the company’s user growth stalls and its stock price continues to fall, The Wall Street Journal has revealed.
The social media firm has faced fierce criticism amid fears that the company is starting to place controls on some of its user content.
According to the Journal, Twitter has offered some of its top employees cash bonuses of between $50,000 to $200,000 as an incentive to remain with the company.
The news comes after the fact that in January alone, four top executives left the company, the biggest exodus since founder and CEO Jack Dorsey returned to the firm last year.
Twitter has also offered varying amounts of stock as an incentives to key employees, as a compensation for their plummeting stock prices.
“Competitive compensation, strong leadership and a confidence in the direction of the company are all key elements to having top talent,” a Twitter spokeswoman said.
“We are investing in all three areas to ensure we maintain these employees,” she said, without providing further details.
Last October, CEO Jack Dorsey claimed he would give 33% of his stock in the company, a stake of about 1%, to the employee equity pool.
He also spoke about “hiring and investing in talent” and the need for “bold rethinking” of Twitter’s overall business strategy.
The plans will raise questions about the companies future growth forecasts and the aspiration of Twitter as a company by Silicon Valley’s top entrepreneurial talent.
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