A Twitter Inc. employee trying to gain clarity as to whether he was fired was mocked by chief executive officer Elon Musk, who chatted openly about the worker\u2019s disability status to other people on Twitter \u2014 before apologising a day later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bloomberg<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Halli Thorleifsson, a senior director whose design firm Ueno was bought by Twitter in 2021, tweeted at Musk on Monday that his access to a work computer had been revoked, and that he wasn\u2019t able to receive an answer from human resources as to whether he still worked at the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In public replies, Musk asked what kind of work Thorleifsson was doing and what its value was, then sent memes and emoji mocking Thorleifsson\u2019s responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thorleifsson later said HR reached out to him and confirmed he was no longer a Twitter employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk then publicly discussed Thorleifsson\u2019s disability with a third party in a separate tweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that US employers keep their employees\u2019 disability status confidential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ADA also offers certain protections to workers with disabilities, and prohibits discrimination, such as decisions in hiring or firing, that are based on disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d Musk wrote. \u201cCan\u2019t say I have a lot of respect for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also suggested that Thorleifsson only tweeted at him for \u201ca big payout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thorleifsson later detailed the limitations of his muscular dystrophy with followers, adding that he was able to write threads on Twitter through his phone, given that it allows him to type with one finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His disability, he added, wasn\u2019t a major issue in the pre-Elon era of Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was a senior director and my job was mostly to help teams move forward, give them strategic and tactical guidance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut as I told HR (I\u2019m assuming that\u2019s the confidential health information you are sharing) I can\u2019t work as a hands-on designer for the reasons outlined above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thorleifsson didn\u2019t immediately respond to requests for comment. Twitter, which disbanded its communications team following Musk\u2019s purchase, couldn\u2019t be reached for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, Musk said he had chatted with Thorleifsson over a video call and \u201cwould like to apologise for my misunderstanding of his situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added, a day after saying he had fired the designer, that Thorleifsson was \u201cconsidering remaining at Twitter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk\u2019s turnaround is a rare move for the executive, who has been known for doubling down on attacks against critics and former employees, particularly on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2018, he called a British caver who helped rescue a trapped Thai soccer team a \u201cpedo guy.\u201d That man unsuccessfully sued Musk for defamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In December, Musk publicly attacked Yoel Roth, Twitter\u2019s former safety head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n