It’s been a strange few months at Twitter, to the point that the head of the HR department evidently can’t even confirm to employees whether they’ve been laid off or not. This was the case for designer Haraldur Þorleifsson, or Halli as he is more commonly known, until things took an incredible turn when Twitter owner Elon Musk Musked it.
Halli, who for over a week has been trying to confirm whether his employment at Twitter had been terminated, took to the platform to try to finally get attention from Musk. “9 days ago the access to my work computer was cut, along with about 200 other Twitter employees,” Halli tweeted. “However your head of HR is not able to confirm if I am an employee or not. You’ve not answered my emails.”
He also tagged Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey for help, saying “my company was acquired on your watch and I joined because I believed in what you were building.” This part should’ve already indicated that he wasn’t just another disgruntled former employee. But Musk, who by now must feel so adept at mocking disgruntled former employees, did his thing.
He didn’t stop there. He continued to deride Halli. Musk claimed that the “reality” is that Halli “did no actual work” and suggested that he faked a disability to get away with it. At this point, the HR head finally confirmed to Halli that he has, in fact, been terminated.
He also accused the former employee of confronting him in public “to get a big payout.”
And then it was again Halli’s turn to speak. The designer was compelled to explain his disability. “I have muscular dystrophy. It has many effects on my body. Let me tell you what they are,” Halli began his thread.
In his response, Halli addressed Musk’s claims. Particularly the one about his being “independently wealthy,” and the part about his legally protected disability, which the designer was careful to point out was “confidential health information” that Musk publicly tweeted about.
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As it turns out, Halli’s successful design company, Ueno, was bought by Twitter in 2021 through an acquihire deal that meant its employees, including Halli, would be embedded in the company. The contract with Twitter stipulates that he would be paid in wages, and then the full remaining amount in the event that his employment is terminated.
Halli did not disclose the full amount. One Twitter user is reporting it to be around $100 million. Whoops.
After what’s assumed to be a long call with Musk’s legal team, the Twitter owner apologized to Halli for “his misunderstanding of the situation” and proceeded to blame everyone else except himself for the incident.
Halli has not confirmed whether the last part about him considering staying at Twitter where he “did no actual work” is true.
Musk has of course deleted his responses to Halli’s original thread.
Apart from grossly humiliating himself while attempting to embarrass a former employee, Musk has also opened himself up to a few more potential lawsuits for defamation and discrimination.
Meanwhile, in Iceland.
Information for this briefing was found via Twitter, TechCrunch, Icelandic Review, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
