Haraldur Thorleifsson with the user name, @iamharaldur, tweeted on Monday that he could no longer access his work laptop and demanded clear answers from the billionaire who acquired Twitter months ago.
He also stated that he resorted to calling out the CEO on Twitter after he contacted the company’s Human Resources department, and mailed Musk himself, but could not get answers.
Replying to the tweet, Musk asked, “What work have you been doing?”
Thorleifsson responded by tweeting a list of his responsibilities and achievements while working at the company, including hiring designers, leading the prioritisation of design projects, and increasing appeal to younger users, among others.
Musk responded with laughing emojis to some of the answers and followed up with more questions.
He wrote, “Level up from what design to what? Pics or it didn’t happen, We haven’t hired design roles in four months. What changes did you make to help with the youths?”
As he was locked out of his computer, Haraldur said he could not provide the evidence that Musk demanded.
The billionaire afterwards tweeted a YouTube link to a clip of a 1999 comedy film, “Office Space,” which featured a comic scene of an employee trying to justify his role to his superiors. He also asked if Haraldur was a “people’s person.”
Despite the employee’s reply stating that he was a people’s person and that he did not mind being fired, but only wanted clear answers, Musk did not give any further replies.
Haraldur informed followers a few hours later that he had indeed been fired from Twitter.
“Companies let people go, that’s within their rights. They usually tell people about it but that’s seemingly the optional part at Twitter now,” Thorleifsson wrote.
Haraldur is a physically challenged creative designer who runs a non-profit organisation that builds wheelchair ramps in Iceland. He founded a full-service creative agency, Ueno, which was acquired by Twitter in 2021.
Musk has come under criticism for massive layoffs shortly after acquiring the company in 2022. The billionaire fired about half of Twitter’s global workforce in November 2022.
