Elon Musk Questions Former Twitter Employee's Disability, Then Apologises
After an exchange wherein Musk asked the former employee "what work have you been doing" and disparaged his attempts to explain himself, Musk went on to rant about that how wealthy the former employee is.
Elon Musk is at it again! This time, the Twitter owner got into a viral public exchange with an employee who wasn't sure if he had been fired, prompting Musk to eventually apologise for his comments.
Things got bad when Musk questioned the former employee, Haraldur Thorleifsson's disability, leading him to create an entire thread about muscular dystrophy and its effects on his body.
Reuters
How it all began
It all began when Haraldur Thorleifsson, who goes by the name "Halli" on Twitter first noticed in February that he was unable to log on to Twitter's systems. When he asked the company's HR his employment status, he did not get a clear response.
Dear @elonmusk ?
¡ª Halli (@iamharaldur) March 6, 2023
9 days ago the access to my work computer was cut, along with about 200 other Twitter employees.
However your head of HR is not able to confirm if I am an employee or not. You've not answered my emails.
Maybe if enough people retweet you'll answer me here?
On March 7, after nine days of being locked out, the former employee wrote a Tweet asking Musk to provide a clear picture. "Maybe if enough people retweet you'll answer me here?" he wrote, and rightly so. After an exchange wherein Musk asked him "what work have you been doing" and disparaged his attempts to explain himself, Musk went on to rant about how wealthy the former employee is.
The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm.
¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023
Can¡¯t say I have a lot of respect for that.
Also read: Elon Musk's Request For Testing Brain Chip In Humans Rejected For Safety Reasons
Things got darker when Musk appeared to question his disability, saying that "[he] did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm."
Unsplash
"Can¡¯t say I have a lot of respect for that," he added.
Former employee hits back
Not much later, Thorleifsson wrote a lengthy thread on Twitter about his disability, adding that what Musk had shared was "confidential health information."
"The reason I asked you in public is because you (or anyone else at Twitter) didn't reply to my private messages," he wrote. "You had every right to lay me off. But it would have been nice to let me know!"
My legs were the first to go. When I was 25 years old I started using a wheelchair.
¡ª Halli (@iamharaldur) March 7, 2023
It¡¯s been 20 years since that happened.
In that time the rest of my body has been failing me too. I need help to get in and out of bed and use the toilet
Thorleifsson, a resident of Iceland, joined Twitter in 2021 when his startup Ueno was acquired by Twitter. He opted to be paid for the purchase price of his company in wages so that he could pay taxes in Iceland.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you are going to pay what you owe me?
¡ª Halli (@iamharaldur) March 7, 2023
I think you can afford it?
Also read: Elon Musk Reportedly Hiring AI Researchers To Build 'Anti-Woke' ChatGPT Rival
Reuters
Not much later, Elon Musk took to Twitter again, saying that he "just did a videocall with Halli to figure out what's real vs what I was told."
I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful.
¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023
He is considering remaining at Twitter.
"I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful," Musk then wrote, adding that Thorleifsson was considering remaining at Twitter.
Even then, it's unclear whether Thorleifsson is actually planning to stay at Twitter and if the company is paying him what is owed anytime soon.
What do you think about the latest string of tasteless controversies for Elon Musk? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
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