Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s singling out of two top Twitter executives to publicly criticise them has triggered a firestorm on social media. Musk and his followers hit out at the firm’s top Indian-origin lawyer Vijaya Gadde and another lawyer named Jim Baker. Many users wondered if that is how the new Twitter boss wants to run the company. Musk, whose offer to buy Twitter in a $44 billion deal has been accepted, criticised Gadde for censoring stories about US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s laptop. The Tesla founder then took aim at Baker.
Gadde, Legal, Policy and Trust Lead at Twitter, is said to have played a key role in suspending the account of a top US tabloid over an exclusive story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. The story has since been verified by many media outlets that had initially dismissed the report as misinformation. Musk’s criticism was latched on to by his followers, who also slammed Gadde “with hateful tweets”.
But the blowback soon began as many found the way Musk openly criticised Gadde wrong.
Replying to podcast host Saagar Enjeti who shared Gadde’s reported tearful meeting with her teams after the Tesla CEO took over the company following a $44 billion deal, Musk said suspending the Twitter account of the New York Post for publishing a “truthful story was obviously incredibly inappropriate.”
Elon Musk has now publicly agreed with and amplified criticisms from the right of two individual Twitter employees today— one accusing its top policy exec of “censorship” and the other accusing a company lawyer of facilitating fraud. pic.twitter.com/NNWyNj03pB
— Will Oremus (@WillOremus) April 27, 2022
Several users then pointed out that Musk going public with his criticism of Gadde was also inappropriate.
“Moments after @elonmusk publicly criticised the work of Twitter policy exec @vijaya, her mentions are full of hateful tweets. Is this how he plans to run the company?” asked a user.
Moments after @elonmusk publicly criticised the work of Twitter policy exec @vijaya, her mentions are full of hateful tweets. Is this how he plans to run the company?
— Dave Lee (@DaveLeeFT) April 26, 2022
The user added that every Twitter employee must be looking at this “and thinking what if they’re next”.
Another user pointed out Musk violated a part of the agreement with Twitter with his tweet about Gadde.
A third user said this situation is a worst case scenario for Twitter employees. “Imagine getting up and going to work in the morning for a company whose new owner is systematically attacking your colleagues for his 84 million followers, in public, on the site you work for—and knowing you might be next,” the user said.
Imagine getting up and going to work in the morning for a company whose new owner is systematically attacking your colleagues for his 84 million followers, in public, on the site you work for—and knowing you might be next. This is the worst-case scenario Twitter employees feared.
— Will Oremus (@WillOremus) April 27, 2022
Gadde had reportedly played a role in terminating former US President Donald Trump’s Twitter account. She has been associated with Twitter since 2011.
Musk singled out Jim Baker, Twitter’s Deputy General Counsel, in addition to Gadde, after conservative commentator Mike Cernovich criticised Baker’s work in a tweet.
Twitter lawyer Jim Baker, when general counsel of the FBI, personally arranged a meeting between the FBI and Michael Sussmann. In this meeting, Sussmann presented fabricated evidence in the Alfa bank matter. @elonmusk, this is who is inside Twitter.
He facilitated fraud. pic.twitter.com/myKOQov3cO
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) April 27, 2022
Musk replied, saying “Sounds pretty bad …”
Musk confirmed on Monday that his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter was successful.