Amid massive layoffs at Twitter across the world, including in India, and the subsequent backlash, the microblogging site’s new owner Elon Musk on Saturday justified the move, saying there was “no choice” when the company was losing millions of dollars daily.

The company posted a net loss of $270 million in the second quarter ended June 30, compared to a profit of $66 million in the same period a year ago.

“Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately, there is no choice when the company is losing over $4million/day,” Musk tweeted.

“Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50 per cent more than legally required,” he added.

Hundreds of employees were handed the pink slips at Twitter on Friday as Musk, 51, started overhauling the social media platform which he bought for a whopping $44 billion late last month.

In a letter to employees obtained by multiple media outlets on Friday, the company said employees would find out by 9 am Pacific Standard Time if they had been laid off. The email did not say how many people would lose their jobs.