Remember when Elon Musk ordered Twitter employees to work on “extremely strict” mode two years ago or risk losing their jobs by clicking “yes” on email? According to an Irish news service, one of the employees who didn’t hit the yes button won a big decision RTÉ.
Ireland’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has ruled that Gary Rooney, the former chief executive of the company then known as Twitter, was unfairly dismissed after nine years with the social media company in 2022 for refusing to agree to an email ultimatum from Musk. The commission also ordered X to pay Rooney 550,000 euros (about $605,000).
Michael MacNamee, the WRC’s decision officer, called the demand for Musk to press “yes” unfair, as a refusal to do so “cannot constitute an act of resignation”. Therefore, the company had no reason to justify firing Rooney.
Musk sent a letter to all Twitter employees In November 2022, just one month after taking over the social media company, the undertaking issued an ultimatum. The email, which had the subject line “a fork in the road,” told Twitter’s then-employees to expect to work “extremely hard,” including “long hours at a high intensity.” Musk gave his employees the option to click a link in the email, “If you’re sure you want to be a part of the new Twitter,” and gave them 24 hours to agree to the commitment by clicking the link or refusing to do so. Those who did not click on the link would be terminated and given three months’ severance pay.
MacNamee ruled that Musk’s 24-hour deadline was not “reasonable notice” for his employees to consider the fate of their jobs. It also said that no employee “can be blamed for refusing to give express unconditional consent to any of the proposals”. Twitter’s Human Resources Department confirmed that Rooney’s termination was related to his decision not to click on an email link despite not knowing the consequences of possible termination or staying with the company.
Rooney is far from the last of Musk’s former employees to sue their former employers over their behavior or what they consider unfair dismissal. lawsuit filed earlier this year by former SpaceX employee accused the company of gender discrimination and basic safeguarding failures.
