Elon Musk Apologizes After Publicly Mocking Disabled Twitter Employee

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Twitter Chief Elon Musk apologized publicly to a former employee with disabilities Tuesday. He suggested that the person did not do any meaningful work at the company. The billionaire also asked for accommodations for him, which was rare in the face of the ongoing chaos and uncertainty at Twitter.

AFP via Getty Images

Here are some key facts

Musk apologized to former Twitter employee Haraldur “Halli” Thorleifsson after the two shared a bitter exchange on the platform a day earlier.

Musk, who publicly criticized Thorleifsson’s work and his need for disability accommodations, said the comments arose from a “misunderstanding of his situation.”

This stemmed from Musk being told things that were “untrue” or were “true, but not meaningful,” he said.

Musk said it was a “long story” figuring out what was real and what was not but stressed a video call with Thorleifsson clarified the matter.

This billionaire is well-known for his unpredictability and tirades on Twitter against critics. said it is “better to talk to people than communicate via tweet.”

Musk appeared to offer Thorleifsson his job back, adding that he is “considering remaining at Twitter.”

News Peg

Thorleifsson, Monday reachedMusk can be reached on Twitter by contacting him to inquire if he is still employed after being blocked from his computer for nine days and not receiving communications from Human Resources. Musk grilled Thorleifsson on his work, questioned his need for disability accommodations—Thorleifsson has muscular dystrophy, uses a wheelchair and cannot do manual work for extended periods of time—and said Thorleifsson “did no actual work” for Twitter. He later suggested the tweet was an effort by Thorleifsson “to get a big payout.” Thorleifsson, who joined Twitter in 2021 after it acquired his startup Ueno,” received an email confirming he was no longer employed during the exchange. This dispute, possibly in violation of employment laws to protect disabled workers, is one more in a string of highly publicized Twitter arguments against Musk. Staff have faced particularly high levels of uncertainty under his plans to reform the platform and large numbers have left through mass layoffs or quitting under Musk’s leadership.

Here’s What to Watch

Thorleifsson has not publicly responded to Musk’s apology or offer to return to Twitter. Before Musk’s apology and job offer, he said his next move is opening a restaurant in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.

SME Valuation

$184.8 billion. That’s Musk’s estimated net worth, according to SME’Real-time tracker. He has a large portion of his wealth tied to Tesla. A good deal of Musk’s Tesla stock has been pledged as collateral for loans. Musk was also the cofounder of SpaceX and Boring Company’s tunneling company Boring Company.

Tangent

Alex Gibney, Oscar winning director announced Monday that he was working on a documentary on Musk. It is called “The Project.” Musk, will offer “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the billionaire, according to Deadline. Gibney’s past documentaries include investigations into scandals involving Enron, Theranos, Scientology and Volkswagen and subjects including Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. Musk, responding to the news on Twitter, preemptively dismissed the project as a “hit piece.”

Elon Musk says remaining Twitter employees will soon receive ‘very significant’ stock awards (The Verge)

Musk Trolls Twitter Employee Asking If He Was Fired And Questions Worker’s Disability (SME)

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