'Is This How He Plans To Run Twitter?': Users Wonder as Elon Musk Criticises Employees Publicly

Elon Musk criticised two of Twitter’s employees publicly on the social media platform, confusing spectators.

By Edited by Gadgets 360 Newsdesk | Updated: 27 April 2022 17:29 IST

'Is This How He Plans To Run Twitter?': Users Wonder as Elon Musk Criticises Employees Publicly

Photo Credit: Reuters

Musk and his followers hit out at Twitter's Vijaya Gadde and Jim Baker

Highlights

Many found the way Musk openly criticised Gadde and Baker wrong
Musk supposedly violated a part of the agreement with Twitter
Gadde reportedly played role in terminating Trump's Twitter account

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.

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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”.

I'd imagine every Twitter employee is looking at this and thinking what if they're next. Just a sample: pic.twitter.com/gGGQaOZ4Yj
— Dave Lee (@DaveLeeFT) April 26, 2022

Another user pointed out Musk violated a part of the agreement with Twitter with his tweet about Gadde.

There's an argument to be made that Musk already violated this part of the agreement, by his tweet today about @vijaya and the NY Post story. https://t.co/01lsS63AcL
— Dan Primack (@danprimack) April 26, 2022

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 …”

Sounds pretty bad …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2022

Musk confirmed on Monday that his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter was successful.

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