Remember two years ago when Elon Musk promised Twitter staff to work in “extremely hardcore” mode via email, ordering them to click “yes” or risk losing their jobs? According to Irish news service RTÉ, one employee who didn’t click “yes” has won a major court ruling.
Ireland’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found that Gary Rooney, a former senior executive at what was then known as Twitter, was unfairly fired for refusing to agree to Musk’s email ultimatum in 2022 after nine years with the social media company. The commission also ordered Company X to pay Rooney 550,000 euros (about $605,000).
WRC adjudicator Michael McNamee said the request to Musk to click “yes” was unreasonable and that his refusal “would not amount to a resignation act”, and therefore the company had no justification for firing Looney, according to the report.
Musk sent an ultimatum email to all Twitter employees in November 2022, just one month after taking over the social media company. The email, with the subject line “Crossroads,” told then-Twitter employees that they should prepare for “extremely hard” work, including “long hours and high intensity.” Musk gave employees the opportunity to click a link in the email that read, “If you’re sure you want to be part of the new Twitter,” and gave them 24 hours to click the link to agree or decline. Employees who did not click the link would be fired and would receive three months’ severance pay.
Judge McNamee ruled that Musk’s 24-hour deadline was not “reasonable notice” for employees to consider the fate of their jobs. He also said that “employees should never be blamed for refusing to be forced into open-ended, unconditional agreement with any of the proposals.” Twitter’s human resources department confirmed that Rooney’s firing was due to his decision not to click on the link in the email, despite not knowing about the possibility of termination or the impact of staying with the company.
Looney is not the last of Musk’s former employees to sue their former employers for Musk’s actions or what they consider to be wrongful termination. A lawsuit filed earlier this year by a former SpaceX employee accused the company of gender discrimination and failing to provide basic safety measures.