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☆ Twitter has lost its last deputy general counsel as its legal team shrinks, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter deputy general counsel Regina Lima has left the company, Bloomberg Law reported. The social-media platform's legal team, which once stood at close to 200, is now largely depleted. Before Elon Musk took control of Twitter in late October, the company had around 200 staff on its legal team, according to Bloomberg Law. Twitter's legal team was shaken up as soon as Musk's purchase of Twitter went through. After Gadde and Edgett's terminations, James Baker, a former FBI general counsel, was the company's most senior lawyer.

☆ Elon Musk smeared Twitter's former head of trust and safety by baselessly claiming he supports child sexualization
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk falsely claimed that Twitter's ex-safety head supports the sexualization of children. Musk posted an excerpt from Yoel Roth's PhD thesis about "Gay Data" and misconstrued it. In the excerpt Musk posted, Roth advocated for social platforms like Grindr to become safe spaces for queer youth under the age of 18. Roth was the most senior member of Twitter's trust and safety team after executive Vijaya Gadde was fired by Musk on his first day as CEO. Musk then insinuated that executives including Roth were making "controversial decisions," often "without getting Jack's [Dorsey] approval."

☆ Elon Musk and Facebook's former chief security officer got into it on Twitter over the release of the 'Twitter Files Part 2'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk sparred on Twitter with Facebook's former security chief over "Twitter Files part two." Alex Stamos tweeted "Musk fired the lawyer" who would tell him what happens if non-employees have access to users' DMs. On Thursday, conservative columnist Bari Weiss tweeted the latest thread of "files," an installment about "Twitter's secret blacklists." Journalist Matt Taibbi tweeted the first part of the "Twitter Files" last week, which Musk described as internal communications that would reveal Twitter tried to censor free speech on the platform. Stamos tweeted that he was the target of "a wave of really poorly targeted racist and antisemitic slurs from" Musk's "posse," after Musk's reply.

☆ Elon Musk says 'controversial decisions' at Twitter were often made without Jack Dorsey's approval
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said "controversial decisions" at Twitter were often made without Jack Dorsey's approval. While CEO of Twitter, Dorsey was "unaware of systemic bias" at the company, Musk said. Musk's comments came after part two of the so-called Twitter Files were published Thursday. Responding to Weiss' tweet, and appearing to back Dorsey, Musk said: "Controversial decisions were often made without getting Jack's approval and he was unaware of systemic bias. Dorsey hasn't responded to the Twitter Files' claims but he told Musk on Wednesday to "just release everything without a filter."

☆ Elon Musk said Twitter will start showing users how many people have seen their tweets, and got Jack Dorsey's approval
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk tweeted that Twitter will introduce a new feature showing "view count" on tweets, soon. Musk says he wants to improve transparency around so-called "shadow banning" on the site. Musk tweeted: "Tweets will show view count in a few weeks, just like videos do. Musk was responding to a thread discussing the issue of shadow banning on Twitter. Musk tweeted later that the group often made controversial decisions "without getting Jack's approval," who has "a pure heart imo."

☆ Elon Musk confirmed the firing of Twitter deputy general counsel James Baker for allegedly interfering in the publication of the Twitter Files
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk confirmed the firing of another high-ranking Twitter official: deputy general counsel James Baker. Musk accused Baker of possibly playing a role in suppressing "information important to the public dialogue." Matt Taibbi, who tweeted Friday's "Twitter Files" thread, accused Baker of secretly vetting the files. Taibbi has promised to reveal additional "Twitter Files" material in conjunction with journalist Bari Weiss, a former op-ed writer for The New York Times. Baker's firing comes a little more than one month since Musk took over as the new owner of Twitter.

☆ Twitter's former C-suite received $200 million in combined stock payouts after Elon Musk fired them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CEO Elon Musk quickly fired Twitter executives upon taking over the company in October. The Twitter executives who were immediately fired when Elon Musk took over the company walked away with much larger bank accounts. He walked away from Twitter with a total of $63 million in converted stock. Gadde held just over 1 million shares in common stock when she was fired, having worked there for more than 11 years, which converted to $59.5 million. Gadde walked away from Twitter with the most money, seeing all of her converted stock total $72 million.

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter's team was 'too intense' with suspending false accounts and is 'moving to chill mode'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk said Twitter's team had been "too intense" with suspending fake accounts. Musk said the team in charge of suspensions was "moving to chill mode." After one Twitter user complained about Twitter suspending a number of genuine accounts that posted "memes and positivity," Musk responded: "Team was a bit too intense with spam/bot suspensions. Twitter's new trust and safety head Ella Irwin said that Musk's top priority was platform safety in an interview with Reuters. Several left-wing activists had their accounts suspended unfairly over the past few weeks because Twitter's trust and safety team has been "decimated," one activist impacted told Insider.

☆ Twitter's clumsy handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story spurred enough bipartisan criticism to risk the existence of the internet as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Twitter's decision to throttle stories about Hunter Biden's laptop prompted bipartisan criticism. Some lawmakers have since called to repeal Section 230, a law "that created the internet." The criticism has since intensified a movement to repeal Section 230, which could change the Internet forever. Much of Taibbi's thread focused on Twitter's handling of the New York Post's October 2020 story about Hunter Biden's laptop, which the Post reported was left in a Delaware repair shop. Representatives for Khanna did not answer questions about the congressman's current position on whether or not to repeal Section 230.

☆ Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna reached out to Twitter as it suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story to voice concerns about violating free speech and press freedom principles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In October 2020, Twitter initially blocked users from sharing a New York Post story about Hunter Biden's laptop. Rep. Ro Khanna sent Twitter concerns about the decision, according to materials published Friday. Less than a month before the 2020 election, the Post published a story that claimed to contain emails retrieved from a laptop that belonged to President Joe Biden's son Hunter. Giving an example, Khanna said if materials uncovering a war crime were hacked and obtained by The New York Times, the Times should be able to publish them. New York Times Co. v. Sullivan established that public figures suing for defamation must establish "actual malice."

☆ Several left wing activists had their Twitter accounts suspended after a false-report campaign by far-right users, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Prominent left-wing Twitter accounts have been banned after false reports, The Intercept reported. Far-right activists have launched a campaign to report left-wing accounts for false violations, it reported. Right-wing activists coordinated a campaign to mass report left-wing Twitter users for fake violations to get their accounts suspended — Loder's account was mentioned on a list of accounts to report. Far-right users like journalist Andy Ngo on Twitter urged Musk to address the "large number of Antifa accounts" operating on Twitter. Loder told Intercept that his account was suspended just 90 minutes after Musk responded to Ngo on Twitter.

☆ Chinese bots spammed Twitter with porn, which buried news about COVID-19 protests in China, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese bot accounts posted spam, which buried news about COVID protests, per the Washington Post. Protests against strict COVID-19 restrictions have erupted in several areas of China. A US government contractor told the Post that by the evening, the feed was "fifty percent porn, 50 percent protests." Some of these acts have been dormant for years, only to become active yesterday after protests broke out in China." Twitter's trust and safety team is likely in disarray.

☆ Elon Musk's 2-year-old son ran around Twitter's office and played with toys while his dad talked to advisors about moderation, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's son X Æ a-Xii was present during Twitter meetings after the purchase went through, WaPo reported. Two-year-old X Æ a-Xii, Musk's first child with Grimes, ran round while he met with Yoel Roth, per WaPo. The Post reported that toys were scattered round the room and X Æ a-Xii ran around. X Æ a-Xii may have been at Twitter's HQ to attend the office Halloween party that day, where some staff brought their children. X Æ a-Xii, who he had with his musician and ex-partner Grimes, was Musk's seventh child.

☆ Twitter's trust and safety team held a one-day sickout to protest against Elon Musk's policies, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter's trust and safety team staged a sickout on November 10, the Washington Post reported. This was in protest to Musk initially ignoring their warnings about the risks of Twitter Blue. Just weeks earlier, on the day he completed the purchase of the company, Musk fired Roth's predecessor Vijaya Gadde, who headed Twitter's trust and safety team for 11 years. The rollout of Twitter Blue has been paused in recent weeks, with users currently unable to sign up for the premium service. Musk appointed executive Ella Irwin as the new head of trust and safety last week.

☆ Donald Trump appears to snub Twitter as Elon Musk reinstates the former president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump has said that he sees no reason to rejoin Twitter, Reuters reported. Elon Musk reinstated the former president's account on Saturday night following a Twitter poll. Trump's Twitter account had more than 88 million followers before he was banned on January 8, 2021. Addressing if he'd be rejoining Twitter, Trump said: "I don't see any reason for it. Musk previously told a Financial Times conference, "I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump," adding, "I think that was a mistake.

Elon Musk on Saturday reinstated former President Donald Trump's Twitter account. Musk polled Twitter users about whether to bring back the account, with 51% of respondents voting "yes." Trump's return to Twitter was widely anticipated after Tesla CEO Elon Musk closed a $44 billion deal to buy the company. "I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump," Musk said at a Financial Times conference in May. "I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH," Trump told Fox News in April, referring to the website Truth Social.

That plan quickly falls through — and Twitter decides to adopt a poison-pill strategy to fend off a hostile takeover from Musk. At this point, shares in Musk's automotive company, Tesla, began to decline; by mid-November, they will have lost close to half their value. “Musk’s conduct simply confirms that he wants to escape the binding contract he freely signed, and to damage Twitter in the process,” Twitter says. In the meantime, Musk and Twitter jockey for position ahead of the October trial — with Judge Kathaleen McCormick increasingly siding with Twitter in key pre-trial motions. Within 48 hours, the site was flooded with users who bought blue checkmarks only to turn around and impersonate official accounts, including Musk's.

☆ I'm still at Twitter and have a front-row seat watching everything fall apart. At this point, I'm just trying to collect a paycheck.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

From the week leading up to Elon Musk's acquisition to the lay-offs week and this week gone, it's been a very weird and tiring time. It happened to be the same day that the Twitter offices were holding big Halloween events and had it decorated. Remote work was a big cultural hitA lot of people work remotely full-time or for at least two days a week. I'm sitting around and just collecting my paycheckI'm now interviewing around and trying to find something with big players. The Twitter that we had as an employer is gone and it won't be a fun place to work.

Elon Musk is overhauling Twitter after taking overMichael Gonzalez/Getty ImagesTesla CEO Elon Musk, the world's richest man, sealed the deal and acquired Twitter for $44 billion on October 27 after months of costly litigation. Following his takeover, one of his first moves was to fire four top executives. In the days since, others have also decided to leave on their own terms. Musk had already put in motion wide-ranging plans for Twitter, including charging users for verification, bringing back video-sharing app Vine, and laying off staff, as he plans to overhaul the company. Here are all the executives and top managers who have either been fired or left the social media company following Musk's takeover.

☆ Elon Musk failed to give laid-off Twitter employees previously promised severance packages, lawsuit alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Laid-off Twitter employees are suing the company saying they were promised a range of severance benefits. The lawsuit says they were assured these benefits would hold after Elon Musk bought Twitter. However, recently laid-off employees say Twitter reneged on the promised severance pay. Twitter employees "reasonably relied" on this promise in the weeks leading up to Musk's purchase and chose not to look for jobs elsewhere, the lawsuit shows. This claim appears to contrast a November 4 tweet from Musk, which said that all exited employees were offered three months' severance.

An image of new Twitter owner Elon Musk is seen surrounded by Twitter logos in this photo illustration in Warsaw, Poland on 08 November, 2022. "We are tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern," an FTC spokesperson said in a statement. Since then, other executives have announced their departures, including most recently Chief Information Security Officer Lea Kissner. According to internal communications obtained by CNBC, three execs involved in information security, privacy and compliance all resigned in recent days, including Kissner. Under that order, Twitter agreed to install an enhanced privacy program and information security program with specific requirements.

☆ Influencers debate leaving Twitter, but where would they go?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

PHILADELPHIA — Pariss Chandler built a community for Black tech workers on Twitter that eventually became the foundation for her own recruitment company. I have lost hope in that,” said Chandler, 31, founder of Black Tech Pipeline, a jobs board and recruitment website. She now has more than 60,000 followers and her own company connecting Black tech workers with companies large and small. “This is the exact reason that Musk bought Twitter and didn’t just build his own social network,” Donovan said. “I’m personally going to stay on Twitter until there is really not a reason to stay anymore.

☆ Elon Musk ruthlessly fired Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal. He's the latest in a long line of Silicon Valley giants to face Musk's wrath, from Jeff Bezos to Mark Zuckerberg.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Parag AgrawalKevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesMusk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal met for a meal in March. But eight months later, Musk took ownership of Twitter and one of his first moves was firing Agrawal and a number of other top execs. Musk had been set to join Twitter's board in the spring after becoming the company's biggest shareholder. Agrawal understandably didn't like the tweet and told Musk that "it's not helping me make Twitter better in the current context." Within days of Musk terminating the deal, Twitter sued him to force him to complete the deal, accusing him of "refusing to honor his obligations."

Elon Musk seems determined to remake Twitter in his own image — with some help from the men in his trusted inner circle. They are joined in Musk’s orbit by Alex Spiro, a trial attorney with a roster of celebrity clients who reportedly led the first round of Twitter layoffs. Bloomberg reported Wednesday night that Twitter is preparing to eliminate about 3,700 jobs, or roughly half its workforce. Musk's personnel decisions suggest a possible road map for the future of Twitter, one in which policies and internal rules are drawn at least in part from the views of Musk’s consiglieres. Sacks, Calacanis, Spiro and Birchall did not immediately respond to questions about the company’s future and the nature of their roles there.

☆ Elon Musk can be 'vicious' in the workplace, a former SpaceX VP says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Grace Dean | Kiera Fields | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former SpaceX VP says Elon Musk can be "vicious" in the workplace. Jim Cantrell told Insider staff never knew whether there were getting "good Elon" or "bad Elon." He added Musk could change Twitter's business performance "from sheer force of willpower." Musk added Twitter to his portfolio in late October, acquiring the social-media platform for $44 billion. One workplace-culture expert previously told Insider that Musk's "autocratic leadership" would be in "great contrast with the type of openness and flexible mindset that is integral to Twitter's culture."

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