Musk apparently sent out a late-night email telling his staff they must become “extremely hardcore” and commit to a work schedule involving “long hours and high intensity.” According to the billionaire, the shift in mentality is the only way that Twitter can “succeed in an increasingly competitive world.” The CEO also told employees that “Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.” The email, which was sent out at midnight Pacific Time on November 16, contains a link to a Google Form that asks employees if they are sure that they “want to be part of the new Twitter” and contains an option to click “yes” or “no.”

Staff who refuse to accept the terms will be given the same severance package thousands of other staff recently received and shown the door. All of the staff who received the email have been given until 5 pm ET on Wednesday to make a decision. The Washington Post was the first major outlet to confirm the existence of the email.

Musk has also claimed that what he terms “Twitter 2.0” will be much more “engineering-driven” saying: “those writing great code will constitute the majority of our team and have the greatest sway. At its heart, Twitter is a software and servers company, so I think this makes sense.” While being told to accept new terms if you want to keep your job could be seen as a no-brainer to some people, especially in an industry where most major players aren’t taking on new hires and are laying off existing staff, things aren’t that simple. Given Musk’s actions over the past few weeks, that “no” button could look pretty tempting.