To be honest ethical principles sounds like an even worst optimization target then engagement due to Goodhart's law.

When it becomes the measure it ceases to become effective, and will likely be gamed to some extent.

There is no way to carry out layoffs that people will see as being good. So what exactly does they lay-offs say about their new CEO? Except that he has a fever frenzied army of journalists chasing his every action and trying to draw it ups as ether the single most important thing in our generation or the start of our entire species downfall?

There was an acquisition and now there’s a trimming of fat. Is neither unexpected, unusual or in anyway outside the typical action you would expect of any competent ceo.

It's shock doctrine at the scale of a single company. This, along with the elimination of the old guard leadership, will destroy any lingering anti-Musk factions. It will save some money on salaries too.

It's not a great experience for Twitter staff, but it's a rational approach from Musk. It paves the way for him to radically alter Twitter's culture and agenda, if he chooses to do so (and may already have done so).

In any case, all this nonsense and political stuff would make it very difficult for talented people to accept offers with Twitter. Even if they did, they would need to be compensated for all the extra risk. This is no way to run a tech company.