This comes as staff face the looming threat of layoffs

[kadioguy]

Staff at Twitter have been clocking up much longer hours than usual since Elon Musk took over, CNBC reported. This comes as staff face the looming threat of layoffs amid the tech mogul's planned overhaul of the company.

[Source]
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1. Does "as" here mean "when" or "because"?
2. Why are "come" and "face" in the present simple? How about "This comes as staff is facing the looming threat of layoffs ..."?

 

[5jj]

1. Does "as" here mean "when" or "because"?

It's more like 'at the same time as'.

 

[teechar]

Staff at Twitter have been clocking up much longer hours than usual since Elon Musk took over, CNBC reported. This comes as staff face the looming threat of layoffs amid the tech mogul's planned overhaul of the company.

[Source]
---
1. Does "as" here mean "when" or "because"?

It's more likely to mean when/while.

2. Why are "come" and "face" in the present simple? How about "This comes as staff is are facing the looming threat of layoffs ..."?

I note that even you didn't use "is coming". The reason for the present simple is that those verbs are being used statively in that sentence. Note that while "staff are facing" is possible (you can almost picture their discontent", "is coming" would be wrong, because "come" is purely stative in that context.

 

[kadioguy]

It's more likely to mean when/while.

[...] Note that while "staff are facing" is possible (you can almost picture their discontent), "is coming" would be wrong, because "come" is purely stative in that context.

I've just found the following, and now think that it would be more approriate to mean "while", because "as staff face the looming threat of layoffs" is in a simple tense:

[From the Practical English Usage 4th ed.]

251.1 'backgrounds': as, when or while
We can use all three words to introduce a longer ‘background’ action or
situation, which is/was going on when something else happens/happened.

As I was walking down the street I saw Joe driving a Porsche.
The telephone always rings when you are having a bath.
While they were playing cards, somebody broke into the house.

A progressive tense is usually used for the longer ‘background’ action or
situation (was walking, are having, were playing). But as and while can be used
with a simple tense, especially with a ‘state’ verb like sit, lie, or grow.

As I sat reading the paper, the door burst open.

 

[5jj]

The 'at the same time as' as is common in newspaper headlines. Here are a few examples from today's papers:

Young Sudanese archaeologists dig up history as ‘west knows best’ era ends (Guardian)​

Novak Djokovic forgives but won’t forget Australian visa saga as he prepares for Adelaide International (Guardian)​

Many humanitarian activities have to be ‘paused’ as Taliban decision to bar women NGO workers prevents delivery of vital services (guardian)

Sandhurst in fresh sex scandal as nearly 200 women report abuse at the famed military academy (Daily Mail)​

Police issue New Year's Eve warning as figures reveal 5,000 cases of spiking were reported in just one year (Daily Mail)​

At least 120 missiles rained down on Ukraine early on Thursday morning as Russia targeted the capital Kyiv and numerous other major cities. (Daily Telegraph)