London: Elon Musk-owned social media company X Corp. has been ordered to pay a massive compensation to a former employee in an unfair dismissal case.
Gary Rooney, who was fired in December 2022 months after Elon Musk acquired the social media platform — then Twitter — has been asked to pay 550,000 euros (Rs 5 crore approximately).
It ended a near decade-long association for Rooney, who had been an employee of Twitter’s Ireland unit since September 2013.
According to a report in Fortune, Ireland’s Workplace Relations Commission ruled that he had been unfairly dismissed in December 2022 and ordered X to pay him 550,000 euros — the largest sum ever awarded by the agency.
Why Rooney Was Fired
Weeks after taking over Twitter, Musk had sent an email across the company in November 2022, demanding employees commit to working “long hours at high intensity” or receive “three months of severance.”
Employees were given a day’s time to click ‘yes’ on the email to accept new working conditions laid out by Musk.
“If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below,” Musk wrote, adding that employees who did not do so would receive three months of severance pay.
Rooney was among those who didn’t respond to Musk’s mail.
X argued that Rooney had resigned voluntarily as he didn’t click ‘yes’ on Musk’s ultimatum.
The Irish Workplace Relations Commission refused to accept this argument.
“It is not OK for Mr Musk, or indeed any large company to treat employees in such a manner in this country or jurisdiction. The record award reflects the seriousness and the gravity of the case,” the complainant’s solicitor Barry Kenny told Bloomberg.
