Twitter has been ordered to pay a record 550,000 euros (£470,000) to Gary Rooney, a former senior employee at its Dublin office, for wrongfully dismissing him.
The decision came after Looney failed to respond to emails from Elon Musk, who took control of the company in 2022 and rebranded it to X, The Guardian reported.
The “crossroads” email, sent shortly after Mr. Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, outlined his vision for a more focused work environment and asked employees to confirm their commitment to the new direction. Mr. Looney, the procurement director, didn’t click “yes” at the confirmation link.
Three days after the email, Rooney received notice from Twitter that his failure to respond would be considered a voluntary resignation, effective November 18. Rooney disputes this, claiming he never resigned and had never seen a separation agreement.
The Irish Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruled that Twitter’s actions amounted to unfair dismissal, awarding a record €550,131 in compensation, including €350,131 in lost wages and an estimated €200,000 in future earnings.
Rooney’s lawyer, Barry Kenny, criticized Musk’s treatment of employees and stressed the seriousness of the case. A Twitter spokesman responded briefly, saying the company was unavailable for further comment.
[Information sourced from The Guardian]