Elon Musk’s platform X, known as Twitter, has been ordered to compensate a former employee, Gary Rooney, for unfair dismissal.
The Irish Workplace Relations Commission ruled that Rooney, who had held a senior procurement role since September 2013, was unfairly terminated in December 2022 following Musk’s acquisition of the company. According to Fortune, X must pay Rooney over $602,640, marking the largest award ever issued by the agency.
After taking over the company, the controversy began in November 2022 when Musk emailed employees demanding they agree to work “long hours at high intensity” or opt for a significant severance package. Employees, including Rooney, had one day to agree to these terms by clicking “yes” in the email.
X argued that Rooney had voluntarily resigned by not agreeing to the new terms outlined in Musk’s email. However, the commission disagreed, stating that failing to click “yes” was not a resignation.
The ruling emphasized that such treatment of employees was unacceptable. “It is not OK for Mr. Musk, or indeed any large company, to treat employees in such a manner in this country or jurisdiction,” said the complainant’s solicitor, Barry Kenny. He noted that the record award reflects the severity and gravity of the case.
This case is among several legal challenges that have arisen since Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022. Subsequently, Musk laid off nearly half the workforce and issued stringent demands to the remaining employees. Several lawsuits have also alleged that X has failed to deliver promised severance benefits to its employees.
