Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, has said his X social media platform will pay the legal bills and sue on behalf of people who their employers have mistreated because of posting or liking something on the site formerly known as Twitter. The billionaire entrepreneur, a self-described free-speech absolutist, made the promise in a post on X late on Saturday. He also urged the company to end the cancel culture in which people get fired for having the audacity to like or follow accounts that their bosses disapprove of.
In his post, Musk highlighted the case of a worker at US video game maker Limited Run Games who was fired for following Libs of TikTok, an account that posts content related to the LGBTQ community. He said she was accused of “promoting hate” and supporting transphobic groups. “If your employer unfairly treated you due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill and sue.” He added that there would be no limits to funding the bills.
The post was retweeted by @LibsofTikTok and had more than 100 million views. A Fox News contributor praised the move and pointed out that several people have been fired for their political views or for expressing interest in specific topics. Fox News co-host Katie Pavlich added that people should be encouraged to express themselves on Twitter and other platforms and that they shouldn’t be penalized for it.
Since Musk took over X, now called Twitter X, in October 2022, he has been focused on pushing the boundaries of free speech and combatting what he calls the “woke mind virus.” He has loosened the site’s moderation policies and reinstated formerly banned accounts.
However, a promised upturn in advertising revenue did not materialize in June, and the company’s cash flow remains negative. The company’s debt load is heavy, and competition has grown with the launch of Meta Platforms’ Twitter-like Threads.
Last week, X faced legal action from a nonprofit group that found it rarely removed hateful comments on the site’s paid Blue service. The organization, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, argues that X is violating its terms of service by failing to take down hateful content. It’s not the only issue affecting X, which recently saw its shareholders withdraw support because of concerns about Musk’s management style and a lack of transparency about financial results. A large ‘X’ sign was recently placed on the company’s headquarters in San Francisco after the city stopped it from removing the old Twitter bird logo. The display has since been moved because it was blocking nearby buildings.
