Elon Musk fired at least two Twitter engineers who publicly criticized him on the social network, in one case announcing the firing in a now-deleted tweet

Twitter Inc. owner Elon Musk, who has called himself a “free speech absolutist,” has resorted to firing company engineers who publicly criticize him on the social-media service.

Bloomberg 2022-11-15 Kurt Wagner

Context & Ripple Effects

Musk’s takeover had already begun with the removal of Twitter’s top leadership, including CEO Parag Agrawal, in a reported for-cause executive purge. The dismissals now reach engineers who challenged the owner publicly, following Musk’s earlier public complaints about constraints on his own speech at Twitter.

First-order effects

The affected Twitter engineers lose their roles after publicly criticizing Musk, while remaining employees receive a clear signal that public dissent can trigger dismissal.
Musk makes personnel decisions part of Twitter’s public-facing governance, including in the reported case of announcing a firing on the service itself.

Second-order effects

Twitter’s internal critics face a more immediate employment risk across both public posts and Slack: related reporting says roughly 20 employees were dismissed after Slack-channel criticism in the overnight Slack firings.
The shift from removing senior executives to disciplining engineers concentrates operational authority more directly with Musk, reducing the room for internal challenge during the ownership transition.

Third-order effects

If this enforcement pattern persists, Twitter’s employment culture shifts from a conventional management hierarchy toward owner-directed control of both leadership and employee speech.
The gap between Musk’s stated free-speech posture and consequences for employee criticism makes workplace speech, rather than only platform moderation, a defining test of Twitter’s governance under his ownership.

The trend: Twitter’s takeover is becoming an owner-led restructuring in which control over the company’s workforce and control over speech are increasingly intertwined.

Discussion

@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@langdon ... He's fired
@ericfrohnhoefer @ericfrohnhoefer on x
🫡 https://twitter.com/...
@sachee @sachee on x
lol just got fired for shitposting i said it before and i'll say it again kiss my ass elon 💋
@ericfrohnhoefer @ericfrohnhoefer on x
I have spent ~6yrs working on Twitter for Android and can say this is wrong. https://twitter.com/...
@bgleib Ben Leib on x
As the former tech lead for timelines infrastructure at Twitter, I can confidently say this man has no idea wtf he's talking about https://twitter.com/...
@sachee @sachee on x
you did not just layoff almost all of infra and then make some sassy remark about how we do batching like did you bother to even learn how graphql works https://twitter.com/...
@holman Zach Holman on x
Pretty incredible thread where Elon confuses how GraphQL works, thinks the Android client itself is making one thousand requests, and then publicly fires an employee who corrects him. Twitter's doing great, tho https://twitter.com/...
@gergelyorosz Gergely Orosz on x
Three senior+ software engineers working at Twitter quote tweeted the below, pointing out how it doesn't make sense. All three fired the same day, one done in public. Criticising your boss in public always has negative consequences, though this response was unusually strong. http…
@grady_booch Grady Booch on x
A bold move, to fire key developers who understand Twitter's codebase and speak truth to your power. Elon is the most incompetent and toxic manager of any software-intensive system than I have ever seen (and in my many years of experience I have seen quite a few). https://twitter…
@eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
@antoniogm Twitter's servers will ignite & melt absent microservices and laid-off employees any minute now. And if they don't, the FTC or some EU regulatory body will fine Twitter into oblivion. And if they don't, users are going to leave en masse. And if they don't, hey, look ov…
@nickrw @nickrw on x
Looks like I just got fired for shitposting too✌️ https://twitter.com/...
@oneunderscore__ Ben Collins on x
Before the first round of layoffs, employees were reminding each other to keep their heads down and out of the way of Musk. If they got laid off, they'd get severance. But if they pushed back against Elon? They'd get fired. No severance. Very normal work environment. https://twit…
@pomeranian99 Clive Thompson on x
Interview with a Twitter engineer, 8 years at the company, who Musk fired after they argued on Twitter: https://www.forbes.com/... (by @cfarivar) I hope it's possible for Twitter to continue with all this internal chaos But I worry it'll turn into a *slurry* of error messages htt…
@moviehooligan David C Bell on x
Musk declares something he knows nothing about, is corrected by an employee who explains the problem, and then fires that employee and presents their ideas as his own. If this doesn't sum up his entire career I don't know what does. https://twitter.com/...
@prchovanec Patrick Chovanec on x
It may show what nonsense some of his “free speech” poses are, but there's a big difference between contradicting your boss publicly vs behind closed doors. The former certainly can be a firing offense. https://twitter.com/...
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
Elon Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” has fired at least two senior Twitter engineers who called him out publicy on Twitter https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@allpointsnorth Chris Brennan on x
If someone told me that Elon was wandering the corridors of Twitter HQ asking anyone if they'd seen Jenkins, as he's responsible for all the builds and he couldn't find him anywhere I'd sort of believe it at this point.
@maybettl @maybettl on x
This guy laid off a bunch of folks who's primary responsibility was international performance and the problem is not what he's describing. Godspeed. https://twitter.com/...
@grady_booch Grady Booch on x
More evidence that @elonmusk is profoundly incompetent when it come to leading an organization built around a software-intensive web-centric system at global elastic scale. https://twitter.com/...
@carlquintanilla Carl Quintanilla on x
“Another engineer, Ben Leib, was also fired after calling out Musk .. writing, .. 'I can confidently say that this man has no idea wtf he's talking about.'” ⁦@KurtWagner8⁩ #twitter https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@business @business on x
Elon Musk, who has called himself a “free speech absolutist,” has resorted to firing Twitter engineers who publicly criticize him on the social-media service https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@ericajoy Erica Joy on x
elon doesn't like free speech after all. https://twitter.com/...
@michaelehayden Michael Edison Hayden on x
This man is a living advertisement for labor unions https://twitter.com/...
@revhowardarson @revhowardarson on x
it's funny that Elon Musk fired all the people who deal with bots and then bragged about the DAUs shooting through the roof, and a moment later a data scientist at his own company contradicted him
@antoniogm Antonio García Martínez on x
Just a little PSA to the commentariat class currently chiming in on the Elon/Twitter situation: unless you've actually built or managed Internet-scale systems before yourself, nobody who actually builds gives a flying fuck about your opinion, or takes it seriously.
@ahookshooks Anthony Hooks on x
Rule number 1: never criticize your boss publicly or on social media site that “your boss” OWNS!! Rule number 2: when in doubt read rule number 1! https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp @martinsfp on x
On one hand, calling out your new boss publicly isn't a great short-term career move. On the other, it's not a great sign for the boss that they felt the need to do it. https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
More Twitter employees are publicly criticizing Elon for making up stories about how Twitter works and getting fired. It's becoming a wave of mass insubordination with Twitter engineers going out in a blaze of glory. Every time I think this acquisition can't get worse, it does. h…
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
And another one! https://twitter.com/...
@heerjeet Jeet Heer on x
The paradox is while Musk is destroying Twitter as a viable business, he's also made the site itself much more entertaining than it has been since 2012. https://twitter.com/...
@briannawu Brianna Wu on x
Let's be clear about this. The CEO of Twitter can attack his employee's work publicly all day every day. But when one responds factually and calmly, they get fired. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@julianhosp Dr. Julian Hosp on x
Right move. Praise in public, Criticize up close. Thats how great teams function. #culture https://twitter.com/...
@jakemgrumbach Jake M. Grumbach on x
Firing people for speech is legal. Firms and their execs and managers are the main constraints on speech in liberal capitalist societies. Labor power is the most effective protector of speech in liberal capitalist societies. Free Speech Warriors have selective outrage. QED https:…
@migueldeicaza Miguel de Icaza on x
Elon really doesn't like when inferior castes stand up and point out the emperor has no clothes. The billionaire doesn't block, he terminates the livelihood of people that contradict him in public. https://twitter.com/...
@wajahatali Wajahat Ali on x
Safe space for Elon and MAGA but none for anybody else. Everyone see the trend? They can criticize and punch but if you critique them...gone. https://twitter.com/...
@jennineak Jennine on x
elon musk just fired a twitter developer while trying to work out how twitter functions on the fly. frees peach https://twitter.com/...
@tweetsbyparker @tweetsbyparker on x
in honor of removing the device indicator in tweets, I want to pay tribute to dorothy https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Congrats to @langdon for a Hall of Fame snitch tagging moment. Getting someone fired by @ mentioning their CEO is no longer a theoretical threat. https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
I originally pointed out how “>1000 poorly batched RPCs” was nonsense but never imagined it turning into a fiasco of multiple Twitter employees being fired for pointing out exactly why it was nonsense. Elon should be talking to the person who fed him that line not firing others. …
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Why the Twitter app on Android is slow from the engineer who Musk publicly fired for calling 🐂💩 on his claim that the problem is “< 1000 RPC calls not being batched” https://twitter.com/...
@daveyalba Davey Alba on x
Ah, what a relief. Speech is finally free on this app!!! https://www.bloomberg.com/... via @KurtWagner8
@tomcoates Tom Coates on x
Musk publicly fired the Twitter Android engineer who had the nerve to correct his inaccurate statements about client performance in public. No doubt in the name of “free speech”. https://twitter.com/...
@gergelyorosz Gergely Orosz on x
I have yet to hear of a software engineer being fired the same day, over a tweet, much less three. Feels like we are seeing a speed run of a massive culture change at Twitter: where most acquisitions would take months - or years - to change the culture, all compressed in weeks.
@victorerikray Victor Ray on x
Like many so-called free-speech absolutists, he absolutely hates free speech targeting him. https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
talking to some Twitter employees and they say that knowing what device an account tweets from can be a strong signal in helping someone determine a real person from a bot or other automation https://twitter.com/...
@telmudic @telmudic on x
Honestly good for this guy. Hope he gets another job somewhere else that pays more. Musk publicly declared something wrong, guy pipes up to note he's wrong (supposedly encouraged by Elon), explains the issues well with the app, and then is fired. Turns out there's zero RPCs https…
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
Single-person authority - Surrounded by yes-men - Removes anyone who don't suck up Really reminds me of certain place in the world https://twitter.com/...
@cfarivar @cfarivar on x
Maybe you saw the news today that a Twitter engineer got fired by Elon, over Twitter. I talked to him — @EricFrohnhoefer. Hours have gone by and he's still had no messaging from the company. He doesn't even know where to send his company laptop. https://www.forbes.com/...
@java_jigga Lejeune James on x
This wrongful termination suit is gonna go insane https://twitter.com/...
@bnwkr Ben on x
The free speech guy just fired someone for correcting him https://twitter.com/...
@jessefeinman @jessefeinman on x
Same, the best way to go! https://twitter.com/...
@josh_wingrove Josh Wingrove on x
generally, yes, tweeting insults at your boss can have repercussions https://twitter.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
NEW: On Nov. 1, Twitter's trust and safety team prepared a 7-page document warning Musk and his team about exactly how the rollout of the new “verified” badge would go wrong. They were ignored. And then their fears came true With @ZoeSchiffer https://www.platformer.news/ ... http…
@javierpallero Javier Pallero on x
This is just a sample of the reality in many companies. Sometimes trust and safety teams try to do a diligent work and they are met with contempt from executives. https://twitter.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
One detail that could prove important: Twitter has no automated means to remove verification badges for people who don't pay for Blue. So Elon either has to build that tech, or have folks do it manually. Except he just fired 80% of his contractors. https://www.platformer.news/ ..…
@zoeschiffer @zoeschiffer on x
NEW: Days before the launch of paid verification, Twitter's trust & safety team sent Elon Musk a 7-page list of risks and recommendations on how the feature could be abused. But Musk refused to adopt any change that would delay the launch. We got the docs: https://www.platformer.…
@ron_miller Ron Miller on x
I'm not sure how ⁦@CaseyNewton⁩ and ⁦@ZoeSchiffer⁩ keep up with this litany of crap without a bigger staff and a longer day, but God bless them, somehow they do. Elon only trusts Elon - by Casey Newton and Zoë Schiffer https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
And of course, the people who were left in trust & safety warned Musk about all the ways that the new subscription plan would backfire. And he went ahead with it anyway. https://twitter.com/...
@lanceulanoff Lance Ulanoff on x
The price of not listening and of not preparing https://twitter.com/...
@platformer @platformer on x
For all followers today: - How trust and safety warned Musk about the Blue verification disaster before it shipped - A new wave of contractor layoffs stuns the company - Twitter's ad team worries about a sharp decline in sales https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@albertwenger Albert Wenger on x
The chaos from the pay-$8-to-be-anyone approach should have been obvious (even without a memo from the team) https://twitter.com/...
@digiphile Alex Howard on x
Per @CaseyNewton & @ZoeSchiffer, @TwitterSafety staff warned @ElonMusk what would happen if he went forward his ill-conceived plan, & then it did: https://www.platformer.news/ ... @platformer continues to be a must-read on this epic tragedy. https://twitter.com/... https://twitte…
@davidclinchnews David Clinch on x
“we anticipate we'll need to debadge a large number of legacy verified accounts if they decide not to pay for Blue, this will require high operational lift without investment.” https://twitter.com/...
@noupside Renee DiResta on x
People outside the company, on here, also pointed out that the economics of $8/mo were a dream come true for many types of scam and confidence artists and that things as simple as different badge colors could mitigate some of the issues. https://twitter.com/...
@rakeshlobster Rakesh Agrawal on x
If Twitter ad sales people have commissions as a significant part of their comp, the best will be on their way out the door. https://twitter.com/...
@chrisfralic Chris Fralic on x
Fortune favors the brave “The world's biggest media buyer GroupM is telling advertisers that Twitter is a ‘high risk’ media buy” https://digiday.com/...

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