Twitter said to sweeten payouts to retain talent

The Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying the social media company has been offering additional restricted stock to employees from junior level to the upper ranks over the past month.

It is understood the cash bonuses range from $50,000 to $200,000 for employees willing to commit to another six months to a year.

In addition, Twitter has granted varying amounts of restricted stock depending on the employee’s length of service, to make up for the value lost since joining the company as the shares have tanked more than 60% in the last 12 months.

"Developing, retaining, and recruiting top talent is critical to Twitter’s business success and building shareholder value,” Twitter told the WSJ in a statement.

"Competitive compensation, strong leadership, and a confidence in the direction of the company are all key elements to having top talent. We are investing in all three areas to ensure we maintain these employees."

Back in October, co-founder Jack Dorsey, who returned to the role of chief executive last year, pledged to give a third of his stake in the company back to employees.

The move came just days after the company said it would cut up to 336 jobs, or about 8% of its global workforce as it struggles to grow its user base.