Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Elon Musk apologises after mocking sacked Twitter worker in online row

Elon Musk apologises after mocking sacked Twitter worker in online row

A surreal Twitter spat between CEO Elon Musk and a worker trying to find out if he had been fired has ended with Musk apologising after mocking him and questioning his disability.

Twitter boss Elon Musk has backpedalled after publicly mocking an employee on the social media platform.

Twitter worker Haraldur Thorleifsson wasn't sure whether he had been sacked by the company after finding himself locked out of his work computer, along with 200 others.

Unable to get a clear answer as to whether he was still employed, he tagged Musk in his tweet.

"Your head of HR is not able to confirm if I am an employee or not. You've not answered my emails. Maybe if enough people retweet you'll answer me here?" he wrote.


A surreal Twitter exchange with Musk ensued, as the Twitter boss quizzed him about his work and questioned his disability and need for accommodations (Mr Thorleifsson has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair).

Musk said Mr Thorleifsson "claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm".

Mr Thorleifsson clarified that he is able to write for an hour or two and tweets on his phone as he can type with one finger.

He also said that as a senior director his role was strategic and managerial, and accommodations had not been a problem in "Twitter 1.0" (before Musk's takeover).


Musk also tweeted that Mr Thorleifsson has a "prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy" and the "reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout".

While the exchange was going on, Mr Thorleifsson, who goes by the nickname Halli, said he received an email saying he was no longer employed.

However on Tuesday Musk had a change of heart.

"I would like to apologise to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation," he tweeted.

"It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful."

Musk indicated Mr Thorleifsson may not be leaving the company after all, saying he is "considering remaining at Twitter".

Mr Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, has about 151,000 Twitter followers.

He joined Twitter in 2021, when the company acquired his start-up Ueno.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×