Twitter employees who replied to one of Elon Musk's tweets were fired | Mashable.
Elon Musk is firing Twitter employees who dare criticize or correct him
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| Free speech for me but not for thee. Credit: STR/NurPhoto Via Getty Images |
Twitter's new owner Elon Musk fancies himself a free speech absolutist; its one of the reasons he says he bought Twitter!
However, as Twitter's employees are finding out, those beliefs in free speech don't seem to extend to those working for him.
Over the past day, Musk has fired a number of employees for correcting his public tweets or criticizing his leadership in the company's Slack channels.
And on Tuesday, Musk went even further by publicly reveling in their dismissals. The owner of Twitter described one fired employee as "a tragic case of adult onset Tourette’s" in a reply to a tweet from @LibsofTikTok, an account run by a right-wing influencer whose anti-LGBTQ messaging was recently blamed for threats being sent to children's hospitals.
"I would like to apologize for firing these geniuses," Musk also sarcastically tweeted about his former employees. "Their immense talent will no doubt be of great use elsewhere."
These most recent issues began after Musk fired off the following tweet criticizing Twitter and the work his employees had done.
"Btw, I’d like to apologize for Twitter being super slow in many countries," Musk posted. "App is doing >1000 poorly batched RPCs just to render a home timeline!"
Longtime Twitter engineers soon called out Musk, claiming the information he provided was false.
"I have spent ~6yrs working on Twitter for Android and can say this is wrong," software engineer Eric Frohnhoefer tweeted, including Musk's comment as a quote tweet.
"Then please correct me. What is the right number?," replied Musk. "Twitter is super slow on Android. What have you done to fix that?"
In response, Frohnhoefer actually tweeted a lengthy and thought-out response to Musk explaining the issue and what could be done.
When another Twitter user recommended that Frohnhoefer message Musk privately, the engineer pointed out that Musk was the one who first publicly criticized his own employees.
Soon after, another Twitter user, @langdon, tagged Elon Musk on Twitter so he could see Frohnhoefer's tweets that weren't directed at Musk. Musk responded in a now-deleted tweet:
"He's fired," Musk said, referring to Frohnhoefe.
The developer acknowledged Musk's tweet and then shared that Twitter had officially locked him out of the company laptop.
In a message with Forbes, Frohnhoefe confirmed the events and stated that Twitter has yet to formally dismiss him from the company.
"They’re all a bunch of cowards," he said.
It's unclear just how many employees have been fired for daring to talk back to the boss, but Frohnhoefe is far from the only one. As of publishing time, multiple now-former Twitter employees shared that they were let go due to corrections or criticisms of the boss either in their tweets or in Slack messages.
Software engineer Sasha Solomon also responded to that tweet from Musk.
Tweet may have been deleted
"You did not just layoff almost all of infra and then make some sassy remark about how we do batching like did you bother to even learn how graphql works," Solomon posted. "You don’t get to shit on our infra if you don’t know what the fuck it does while you’re also scrambling to rehire folks you laid off."
Solomon later announced that she was fired as well.
Tweet may have been deleted
Now-former Twitter employee Jesse Feinman said that he was fired after asking "silly questions," like if his co-workers who corrected Musk's "poorly batched RCPs" tweet were getting fired, in one of the company's Slack channels
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Mashable found four other Twitter employees who also announced that they were fired.
One additional software engineer who replied to Musk's tweet has not yet publicly shared their dismissal, but their LinkedIn was updated to show they were no longer with the company.
These firings aren't the first time Musk has displayed hypocrisy when it comes to "free speech." In fact, this very thing has happened before at a different Musk company when he fired SpaceX employees who criticized him. Musk fans may defend him by saying the Twitter employees acted "unprofessional" but Musk, the captain steering the ship, has fostered this very culture. He was the one who publicly blasted their work to begin with.
Mass layoffs just occurred less than two weeks ago under Musk, with thousands of employees losing their jobs. Musk laid off so many workers from the company that Twitter eventually had to reach back out to some of them and ask that they return to the company. Some of the employees Musk initially fired were working on features crucial to Musk's own plans for the platform.
Over the weekend, Twitter fired even more workers after the company abruptly cut ties with thousands of contractors.
These layoffs and firings have occurred as Twitter bleeds advertising revenue as a result of brands pausing campaigns on the platform as a result of Musk's takeover. Twitter has also temporarily paused new subscriptions for Musk's $8 Twitter Blue subscription as fake accounts impersonating brands filled the platform.
In addition to all that, Twitter users have reported being locked out of their accounts after Musk announced the company was shutting off "microservice bloatware" which he claimed weren't needed for Twitter to work.
It appears in the midst of shutting down such services, Twitter also turned off the system which enabled two-factor authentication.
Many of the now-former Twitter employees seemed content to no longer be working under Musk. With the chaos currently reigning there, it's not hard to see why. And most of them appear to be engineers or software developers, meaning they may not have much trouble finding a new job in tech.
More in Social Media, Twitter, Elon Musk
Calm down Elon they’re just jokes. I thought comedy was legal again there.
ReplyDeleteHe's a "fee speech absolutist"
Deletefreedom of speech has nothing to do with privately owned things, can I come into your house and make fun of you? Or would you insist on me leaving?
Deletea public, free to join platform is private property equated to one’s house. Got it.
Deletefunny you laugh but have no response… typical…
Deletesame with a store, any privately owned building or business. If my boss caught me making fun of him and demeaning his position of authority I would expect nothing less than termination, otherwise you weaken the position of authority and will lose respect. Pretty basic stuff here, surely you’ve had a job before…
DeleteAnd it’s not the platform, it’s the business running and operating the platform. Just like Walmart isn’t the shirts and groceries, it’s the business that sells them.
DeleteBlind loyalty to a place with a lack of accountability for their actions cool cool cool. Healthy environment to grow. Only a few comments in and my employment was already questioned. Gotta love it.
DeleteToxic leadership, modern day workplaces should have an open policy were you can all collaborate together for the same goals as part of a team.
ReplyDeleteThat is how people grow and learn.
and that’s why the old leadership banned people for their opinions, hmmmm. Now the new boss is banning theirs? Seems fitting .
Deleteunless the workplace has been toxic and new leadership needs to clean it up, which is what it is in this case.
Deletehe's draining the swamp
DeleteI'm sure that's gonna work out great 🙃
ReplyDeleteguess you've never had a real job- I have never, and I mean never, been at a job that allows their Employees to go against their Employer- so, grow up.
Deleteuh do I know you... you must be a bot or some AI troll.
Deletesame old song- someone disagrees with you, so, you don't have answers so you call them a bot or troll- all you Liberals do the EXACT SAME THING TO ANYONE WHO DOES NOT fall into Lockstep with your opinions.
DeleteUh... this is not a political article. Why are you so defensive? AND you don't know me. Just including the word "liberal" denotes to me, you're either a bot or some lonely troll waiting to egg some on. Get go ahead... you're turn.
Deletewe all know Liberals hate Musk. So, it's fine for you to say anything you want, and yes, not a stretch to plainly see you are a LONELY LIBERAL, but the minute someone makes a comment that does not go along with yours, you THINK that by calling them a Troll, that you are hurting them. You are like the mean High School girls who is jealous of the new girl who you do not know, so you start calling her names because you THINK that will make you look good. You clearly are old enough to know better. Don't care what names you call me- it just makes you look really immature.
Delete🤔I'm betting on a Bot troll !
Delete🤔An over inflated ego, with arrogance, self importance, selfrightousness, along with enormous wealth & greed for more wealth at the expense of anyone or everyone else is an extremely bad combination to be any kind of stable human being!! Reminds me of DJT !!
Delete🙄🙄
Delete😆😅😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Welcome to the real world... lol
ReplyDeleteI love that something like this makes headlines.
Rich boss fires people. People get mad.
Good. You don’t talk about your boss like that. I don’t think my bosses would put up with it either.
ReplyDelete#freespeech
DeleteI tell my boss to f**k off on a regular basis.
DeleteIf your boss would fire you for correcting a factual error, you have a terrible boss whose ego is way too brittle.
DeleteBut are they a-holes?
DeleteMusk advocates #feespeech
Delete#exactly
Deleteit's a private workplace, he can do what he wants, but it certainly doesn't support his free speech claim on Twitter.
DeleteBut it won't be around much longer.
he's running on being a free speech platform. So if he can base his employees publicly then they can do the same. It's free speech right
DeleteHow so? If they don't share his vision for the company and going to mock him. Don't bite the hand that feeds you...
DeleteI'd be outa there in a New York minute!!
ReplyDeleteThey should all walk out on him. He is a terrible boss.
ReplyDeleteStable genius 🥸
ReplyDeleteThe most money on the planet still can't buy confidence in character
ReplyDeleteor respect. And these actions won't get it either
Deleteyes the employees should show respect and show a good moral character to their boss. IF they think it’s the other way around then the employees shouldn’t stoop to his level.
DeleteAnyone who thinks it's not a healthy place to work has an excellent solution: leave the company and find a better job. Do you know? Workers do not have only rights. Responsibilities also exist!!
ReplyDeleteA great American company! Nice place to work!
ReplyDeleteHe is their boss as long as he owns the company he gets to decide what goes on
ReplyDeleteHe's a jerk. I wouldn't be surprised if all of the employees walked out.
Deletethey can walk. He doesn't own them - although he doesn't seem to understand that.
Deleteexactly, they can walk… or apparently they can also cry on the internet… 🤷🏻♂️
DeleteHe's not wrong. Publicly negative about the company you work for? Don't agree with the person making decisions? Think you're smarter and more capable than the boss, and can't wait to share that information? Time to think about leaving that job.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Frumpie
ReplyDeleteExactly like.
DeleteCalling it 'work' is a bit of a stretch
ReplyDeleteperfect.
DeleteNew owner new rules. Don’t like them, you know where the door is.
ReplyDeleteyepp doesn't matter if it's right or not. Sounds like prison youbaby boomer you😒
Deletethat is why so many users are quitting it.
DeleteIt's like cracking an egg on his fontanelle..
ReplyDeletehttps://giphy.com/gifs/birds-elon-musk-2SNYk4EIvx2NncXnfh
Clean house!
ReplyDeleteYay!!! This is so fun to watch. He seems like a lot of fun at parties.
ReplyDeletemore than you!
DeleteI'm sure. He's a "real comedian," dontcha know. 😃
DeleteSo what. It’s his company.
ReplyDeleteOhh nooo... the restaurant boss is firing the bus boy for taking too many smoke breaks
ReplyDeleteHe’s doing a noble service!
ReplyDeleteGood
ReplyDeleteTo all you snowflakes, there’s still a difference between employees and users freedom.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't criticize publicly when your internally having troubles. Makes you look like someone who doesn't want to be there.
ReplyDeleteDude has completely lost his marbles..
ReplyDeleteHe does that because he can. ✌🏼😇🍀🤜🏼💩🤛🏼
ReplyDeleteI guess Trump is not the only one.....
ReplyDeleteIt’s hard but necessary u need to learn when to “shut the f*** up” going against the CEO in public no one survive that.
ReplyDeleteHe is like a dork who is struggling to overcome his dorkness...
ReplyDelete"Elon bought Twitter to stop censorship" 😂
ReplyDeleteSo much for free speech mate
ReplyDeleteWhen you’re the boss, you can do that.
ReplyDelete😂👎🏻🖕🏻🌵
So what? He owns the place and it was totally f D up.
ReplyDeleteGo Elon
What a snowflake ❄️
ReplyDeleteGeez..That's any boss...grow a pair
ReplyDeleteTime will tell
ReplyDeleteBS!
ReplyDeleteExcerpts from the stories of the whiny and no longer employed...
ReplyDeleteTrump! Both thin skinned
ReplyDeleteHe’s the boss
ReplyDeleteHe should buy Comcast next
ReplyDeleteSo
ReplyDeleteHE BECAME THE NEW KANYE WEST...! 🤣🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteHead’em up move’em out !
ReplyDeleteSounds like Putin and dRUMPf.
ReplyDeleteThat is really messed up.
ReplyDeleteMusk firing idiots.
ReplyDeletehe didn’t use his own money why does he care
ReplyDeleteWho cares....
ReplyDeleteSo….he’s a boss?
ReplyDeleteSilver spoon and mental problems.
ReplyDeleteWould you criticize your boss?
ReplyDeleteLooks like Twitter has become the worst employer in tech. Good luck scaling after the recent PR suicide.
ReplyDeleteUh. He’s the boss. As he should.
ReplyDeleteWrong - he is firing people who are exposing their ignorance in the name of correcting him 😃
ReplyDeleteHe is the boss/owner he can hire and fire as he wishes, just like employees can move on if they wish.
ReplyDeleteThe beatings will continue til the moral improves
ReplyDeleteMonopoly capitalism - the final refuge of tyrants, dictators and false prophets!
ReplyDeleteThought he was all for free speech
ReplyDeleteOh well hail hydra!
ReplyDeleteGreat management, applause 🤡
ReplyDeleteSounds like it is now a healthy place to work to be fair, people who criticize their boss on a public forum should have to deal with the consequences.
ReplyDeleteAnd will be til the bad elements are exposed and banished!!!!
ReplyDeleteGood. He is th CEO. Respect, don't whine.
ReplyDeleteTwit gulag
ReplyDelete🙄🙄🤔All part of his so-called plans of free speech !?!
ReplyDeleteAnybody with morals should walk out.
ReplyDeleteSo there can be consequences to things people post on Twitter, without it being a free speech issue. Got it.
ReplyDeleteThere’s no freedom in a workplace, so yeah, bosses or owners are absolute rulers. They get to toy with any of their workers the way they want and as long as they can. The only freedom a worker has while getting paid by them bosses is to grin and bear.
ReplyDeleteWhat a assh……..
ReplyDeletethe good news from the twitter exchange.. the dev outted himself for saying he worked on it for 6 yrs and didnt fix it, plus he came up with other excuses on why it could be slow on the android. he should have been a problem solver instead of passing blame.
ReplyDeleteA taste of their own ways
ReplyDeleteI bet all the employees are going to quit because he is such a meanie head!!!
ReplyDeleteyou mean hes a boss
ReplyDeleteYour way or they can take too the highway, l'd say.
ReplyDeleteFire them all already!
ReplyDelete#MakeTechGreatAgain
He is the boss
ReplyDeleteSo much for "free speech".
ReplyDeleteI mean are we expecting the guy carrying a sink around to have a firm grasp on humor?
ReplyDeleteJaaa, haben manche wirklich etwas anderes erwartet?!
ReplyDelete🙈
My boss would fire me for that, too. Yours probably would, too.
ReplyDeleteElon rocks !! 😂🤣😜❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeletehttps://media1.tenor.co/images/d5caa8f9b4899fa6da9e820c83a711fe/tenor.gif?c=VjFfZmFjZWJvb2tfd2ViY29tbWVudHM&itemid=14019092
ReplyDeleteElon is making billions of enemies
ReplyDeleteShould focus on cars or spaceships.
ReplyDeleteI guess his new employees missed the memo saying "The Boss is always right, unless you want to work somewhere else !"
ReplyDeleteIf there’s an institution in need of a Nero….
ReplyDelete🔥
Man buys social media company, is immediately appalled by the comments section. Man obviously has no idea what social media is.
ReplyDeleteToo many Humpty Dumpties like Musk with too much money. Let him tank it lol.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn’t criticize your boss.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is best to just keep your lefty fanaticism to yourself until the dust settles from the sale.
ReplyDeletethey are better off working for some one else any way
ReplyDeleteTaking lessons from the Orange Idiot...both fools
ReplyDeleteCorrect him??? Lol
ReplyDeleteOh my Gosh….a TFPTRUMP clone?
ReplyDeleteMore Sad Wokers Every Day.
ReplyDeletesort of hitler-ish
ReplyDeleteTwitter was just like these fake news, about Elon Musk, is why he took over
ReplyDeleteYup. He's always done that which is why his idea of unmoderated speech was never actually going to be that.
ReplyDeleteI thought he wanted to buy Twitter to show the world the virtue of free speech?!?
ReplyDeleteThrow water on him and see if he melts
ReplyDeleteWell he is the boss, maybe use more tact when you talk to him and don't do it on a public forum.
ReplyDeleteImagine spending $40 billion on something and then letting your pride and ego completely destroy it ahahaha
ReplyDeleteIt would be awesome if they would strike
ReplyDeleteI hope he goes down in a fiery ball of flames. He was interesting and appealing when he was a cool younger nerdy guy, starting upstart businesses with interesting disruptor technologies. Now he’s just a mean, authoritarian jerk with too much money and perceived power for his own good. He went from Gandalf to Saruman like that🫰
ReplyDeleteCorrect: those who choose to try and publicly criticize him and seemingly with ill intent yes. I think Elon is open to feedback, even criticism, when it’s backed by evidence and supporting a solution, not the whiney entitlement that is on display with some of this woke workforce. Now it’s time for hardcore Twitter. Let’s go! Get it straight Mashable
ReplyDeleteIt's so laughable to watch the cult stand up for elon because he is as vile as dt, what happened to their epic ignorance and HATE for anything smart like electric vehicles??? SHEEPLE SHEEP SHEEP, oh so easily led
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech goes brrrrr
ReplyDeleteAhhhh is Elon have hurt feelings?
ReplyDeleteEmployees are mad they can't act like Elon now lol
ReplyDeleteWEAK IGNORANT little boy man
ReplyDeleteIt's his business ! Let him run it how he chooses !!!
ReplyDeleteYup...the great protector of free speech right here! LOL
ReplyDeleteThat’s awesome!
ReplyDeleteI think this is actual Misinformation not like usual where fb just doesn’t like your post then labels it misinformation
ReplyDeleteFox News is misinformation.
Delete#FreeSpeech
ReplyDelete🤣 😂 😂
Bankruptcy is in his near future
ReplyDeletehttps://media1.tenor.co/images/e66d09645edee31b29f811c0dc333725/tenor.gif?c=VjFfZmFjZWJvb2tfd2ViY29tbWVudHM&itemid=16975163
They should all just resign and leave him deal with the chaos by himself.
ReplyDeleteSeems a little fascist.
ReplyDeleteWell, criticizing him /on/ Twitter ...
ReplyDeleteSeems like a biased headline and caption…
ReplyDeleteThat's what fascist pos Maga moron traitors do,ask trumf.
ReplyDeleteFake news...
ReplyDeleteHey musky your employees are your most important asset without them you are nothing you rich childish pos. I hop they all walk on you.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why the employees are even still there. They know how the platform is built and how it could/should work...I can only imagine they're staying to MAKE him fire them so they get severance nd unemployment. Once they do leave they should make their own new app and name it Town Square. #CrushTwitter lol
ReplyDeleteVery healthy place to work when he get rid of all those ‘ill-advised’ employees and bring back freedom of speech to the mass
ReplyDeleteIf you’re a leader who can’t take criticism then you’re not a leader.
ReplyDeletewell, he is a ~GeNiUs~ so i'm sure things will continue to go amazingly, just as they have thus far. 🤣🙃 #freespeech 😅
ReplyDeleteHow's that free speech working out?
ReplyDeleteat any other job, if employees talked smack online about their boss they would get canned as well. These soyim are high on their own supply
ReplyDeleteGood. It's high time
ReplyDeleteYaaaa that's kinda how working for someone goes
ReplyDeletefreedom of speech or the Boss on the top of the Company micromanaging the whole company .... concepts of the 18 century ... nowadays lean management is the goal to win a healthy company ... elon is the man of the past ..... a sore loooooooser
ReplyDeletebecause his other companies are run like crap? Wrong
Deletehe don't understand "I BOUGHT IT, MY RULES".
DeleteThis dude is sick
ReplyDeleteGood. They all need to be team players. If you don’t have the company or its management in their best interest then you don’t belong there.
ReplyDeleteHe is the boss, it is his right to fire anyone not on his team .
ReplyDeleteThey should be thrilled to leave that freak show.
ReplyDeleteThe electric car darling of the left is now their enemy because he likes free speech. Got it.
ReplyDeleteThere's a new sheriff in town and he owns it.......
ReplyDeleteDestroying Twitter from inside: The Angry Emperor. On Netflix soon.
ReplyDeleteDonate to relevant radio com thanks
ReplyDeletehttps://giphy.com/stickers/jerseydemic-sad-cry-emoji-N9DtPOsLaly1qa5XSn
ReplyDeleteAnd all in the name of free speech too
ReplyDeleteTick tick tick
ReplyDeleteHis company
ReplyDeletenot a fan of musk, but any time you criticize your boss in an open forum like slack or twitter youre asking for termination
ReplyDeleteCry me a river
ReplyDeleteanother click bait subject to a nothing burger HATEFUL article..what do you expect from mashable?? 🤷
ReplyDeleteActing like Putin
ReplyDeleteunfollow. Too much focus on Elon.
ReplyDeleteToxic work environment!
ReplyDeletehttps://media1.tenor.co/images/3839ef92b9e789e39a38cbd5c218fbf3/tenor.gif?c=VjFfZmFjZWJvb2tfd2ViY29tbWVudHM&itemid=24236744
I wouldn’t take that from my employee. They can take their pampered butts to Google!
DeleteBuild a bridge Mashable
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThat's how dictators operate. Surprise, surprise.
ReplyDeletepretty sure it's because the people he's firing are deranged.
Deletehowever you need to justify your fascism
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete