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☆ Ex-Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has moved his AI startup out of stealth, calling it Parallel
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Parag Agrawal updated his LinkedIn page with his AI startup's name for the first time: Parallel Web Systems. The ex-Twitter CEO raised about $30 million for the startup, The Information reported in January. AdvertisementThe former CEO of Twitter has moved his AI startup out of stealth mode with a previously unknown name: Parallel Web Systems. Agrawal raised about $30 million for the startup, The Information reported in January when the startup's name was still unknown. From Twitter to AI startupAgrawal was the CEO of Twitter from November 2021 to October 2022, when Elon Musk fired him following his acquisition of the platform.

Persons: Parag Agrawal, Parallel's, —, Agrawal, Elon Musk, Kurt Wagner's, Wagner, Musk, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett Organizations: Systems, AIs, Service, Twitter, Khosla Ventures, Index Ventures, LinkedIn, Company, Shapley Inc, Business Locations: Palo Alto , California, San Francisco

What's next: Media Matters filed a motion to dismiss Musk's lawsuit in March, but a judge has yet to rule. VCG/GettyGovernment lawsuits and investigationsSEC investigation into Musk's Twitter takeoverThe issues: The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Elon Musk's Twitter purchase. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesPersonal lawsuits against MuskTornetta v. MuskThe issues: Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta sued Musk and Tesla in a class action lawsuit regarding Musk's compensation package, which was worth $55.8 billion at the time. Several lawsuits also allege Musk discriminated against them because of their race, gender, or disability in choosing to fire them. The executives were set to receive golden parachutes, but claim Musk and X have not paid them out.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Musk, Claire Boucher, Grimes, Alex Spiro, Sam Altman, Donald Trump, Spiro, Anna Webber, Angelo Carusone, What's, Gina Carano, Schaerr Jaffe, Tesla, Musk's, Elon, SEC hasn't, Elon Musk's, who've, Owen Diaz, Matt Winkelmeyer, Richard Tornetta, Kimbal Musk, He's, Boucher, Benjamin Brody, Brody, Brody reverberated, Ben Brody, didn't, Robert Kaiden, Kaiden, he's, Agrawal, Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Twitter Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett, Segal, hadn't Organizations: Service, SpaceX, Business, OpenAI, SEC, Trump, Trump —, Elon, Variety, Media, X Corp, Disney, National Labor Relations Board, UAW, Tesla, Getty Government, Twitter, Securities, Exchange Commission, Justice Department, Reuters, Traffic, Administration, NHTSA, Apple, NLRB, Musk's SpaceX, US, Employment Opportunity, Musk, Nazi, Litigation Locations: Texas, Texas and Missouri, America, Nazi Germany, California, Delaware, San Francisco

☆ Elon Musk apologized for 'incorrectly low' Tesla severance packages
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk apologized Wednesday to laid-off Tesla employees for incorrect severance packages. Some workers previously told Business Insider they were offered two months' pay as severance. AdvertisementElon Musk apologized in an email to some laid-off Tesla employees after their severance packages were found to be "incorrectly low," according to a screenshot of the email viewed by Business Insider. "As we reorganize Tesla it has come to my attention that some severance packages are incorrectly low," Musk said in the brief email sent Wednesday. Other workers told BI that as of Wednesday night, they'd yet to receive any information about severance packages.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Musk, they'd, Tesla, Drew Baglino, who'd, he'd, Rohan Patel, They're, Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett Organizations: Service, Business, CNBC, Worker, Twitter Locations: China

☆ Former Twitter Executives Sue Elon Musk for $128 Million
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Kate Conger | More About Kate Conger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Four former Twitter executives sued Elon Musk on Monday, accusing the billionaire of withholding severance payments worth $128 million after he fired them from the company during his 2022 takeover. When Mr. Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, he fired Parag Agrawal, its chief executive; Ned Segal, its chief financial officer; Vijaya Gadde, its head of legal and policy; and Sean Edgett, its general counsel. Mr. Musk later renamed the company X. In the event of an involuntary termination, Mr. Agrawal was entitled to a so-called golden parachute payment of $60 million, according to a Twitter securities filing. Under those same circumstances, Mr. Segal would receive $46 million and Ms. Gadde $21 million, according to the filing.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett, Agrawal, Segal, Gadde Organizations: Twitter, Northern, Northern District of Locations: U.S, Northern District, Northern District of California

☆ Former Twitter execs sue Musk and X for more than $128 million in severance
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former Twitter executives including CEO Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, head of legal Vijaya Gadde and General Counsel Sean Edgett filed a new lawsuit against Elon Musk and X Corp. in federal court arguing that they are owed $128 million in unpaid severance. The ex-Twitter executives' lawyers argue, "These statements were not the mere rantings of a self-centered billionaire surrounded by enablers unwilling to confront him with the legal consequences of his own choices. Musk bragged to Isaacson specifically how he planned to cheat Twitter's executives out of their severance benefits in order to save himself $200 million." The suit, Agrawal et al v. Musk et al, was filed in California's Northern District and follows news that settlement talks between X Corp. and ex-Twitter managers broke down in a related case in Delaware, Woodfield v. Twitter Inc., where $500 million in unpaid severance to former Twitter managers and engineers is in dispute. Representatives for X Corp. and Elon Musk did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Persons: Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett, Elon Musk, Musk, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, Agrawal Organizations: Twitter, Elon, X Corp, Twitter Inc Locations: Delaware

☆ Former Twitter execs say Elon Musk still owes them $128 million in severance
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Four former Twitter execs, including ex-CEO Parag Agrawal, are suing Elon Musk over their severance. Musk has previously said he fired the execs for cause and doesn't owe severance. AdvertisementFour former Twitter lieutenants who were fired following Elon Musk's 2022 takeover are now suing him, claiming unpaid severance. They are collectively asking for $128 million, according to the federal lawsuit filed Monday in California obtained by Business Insider. This isn't the only severance-related suit Musk and X have faced.

Persons: Parag Agrawal, Elon Musk, Musk, —, Elon Musk's, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett, Agrawal, Segal, Gadde, Walter Isaacson, I've Organizations: Twitter, Service, Business, Wall Street, Elon, Reuters Locations: California

☆ Former Twitter execs sue Elon Musk over severance payments
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —A group of former Twitter executives sued Elon Musk on Monday in a bid to recover more than $128 million in severance that they allege Musk has not paid since he acquired the company, now called X, more than a year ago. The executives include former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, former CFO Ned Segal, former Chief Legal Officer Vijaya Gadde and former General Counsel Sean Edgett — all of whom were fired within hours after Musk took control of Twitter. Monday’s lawsuit is just the latest legal action brought by former Twitter employees related to Musk’s acquisition. The company has also been accused of failing to pay annual bonuses to employees laid off after Musk’s takeover. Musk and X have also faced lawsuits from vendors, landlords and business partners who claim the company has failed to pay what they are owed.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett —, “, ”, Agrawal, Gadde, Segal Organizations: New, New York CNN, Twitter, Court, Northern, Northern District of Locations: New York, Northern District, Northern District of California, Delaware

☆ Elon Musk is 'totally out of his element' at Twitter because he doesn't 'understand social media,' a Harvard leadership expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Harvard leadership expert thinks Elon Musk is "totally out of his element" in running Twitter. He explained that the billionaire doesn't have any expertise of running a social media platform. A Harvard leadership expert weighed in on Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter and the changes he's made, saying that the billionaire is "totally out of his element" because social media is not his area of expertise. George suggested that Musk should let Twitter's new CEO Linda Yaccarino call the shots. William Klepper, a management professor teaching an executive leadership course at Columbia Business School, previously told Insider that Musk's Twitter takeover is "a case study of failed leadership."

Persons: Elon Musk, doesn't, Bill George, Elon, George, Musk, Parag Agrawal, Ned Sagal, Vijaya Gadde, Sean Edgett, Linda Yaccarino, William Klepper, Klepper Organizations: Harvard, Twitter, Harvard Business School, CNBC, SpaceX, Columbia Business School Locations: Elon Musk's

☆ Twitter was hit with a massive $90 million legal fee that Elon Musk is now trying to fight in court. A former Twitter director saw the bill and responded, 'O My Freaking God,' court documents show.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter previously hired a law firm to force Elon Musk to complete the buyout of the company. The law firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, hit Twitter with a $90 million bill for its services. According to the suit, $84 million was wired to the law firm minutes before the deal closed. On Twitter, Musk accused Wachtell of specializing "in institutionalized corruption." Since he acquired the company, Musk has refused to pay expenses for some former employees, rent for the company's offices, and, previously, invoices for Google Cloud services.

Persons: Elon Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Musk, Martha Lane Fox, Sean Edgett, Lane Fox Organizations: Twitter, Rosen, X Corp, Elon, San, Google Locations: San Francisco County

The complaint by Musk's X Corp, which owns Twitter, was filed on Wednesday in the California Superior Court in San Francisco. Musk accused Wachtell of exploiting Twitter by accepting, in the final days before the Oct. 27, 2022, buyout closed, huge "success" fees doled out by departing Twitter executives who were grateful that Musk would be forced to close. "Wachtell arranged to effectively line its pockets with funds from the company cash register while the keys were being handed over" to Musk, the complaint said. Musk wants to recoup "excess" fees that Wachtell charged under an agreement signed on the day of closing by one of its partners and Twitter's chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde. The case is X Corp v Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, California Superior Court, County of San Francisco, No.

Persons: Elon Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Musk, Vijaya Gadde, Martha Lane Fox, Sean Edgett, Mark Zuckerberg's, Carl Icahn, Icahn, Jonathan Stempel, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Rosen, Twitter, Musk's X Corp, California Superior Court, Tesla Inc, SpaceX, Fox, CVR Energy, X Corp, Thomson Locations: California, San Francisco, Delaware, Katz , California, Court, County, New York

☆ Anxious Twitter employees sobbed in the company's bathrooms the night Elon Musk's takeover went through as they feared for their jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter employees sobbed in the bathroom at a Halloween party over fears of being laid off, the Verge reported. A program manager told Insider that after Elon Musk's takeover, staff panicked about coming layoffs. She said she found out she had been laid off when she was kicked off Twitter's work systems. Musk then identified 3,700 people — roughly 50% of the company's 7,500 employees at the time — to be laid off, in his first week. Just hours after Twitter sent that email to staff, Lee noticed that some of her colleagues' accounts "started deactivating," she said.

☆ 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 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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 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."

☆ Twitter’s C-suite clears out as Musk cements power over the company
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In less than a week since Musk acquired Twitter, the company’s C-suite appears to have almost entirely cleared out, through a mix of firings and resignations. Musk has also dissolved Twitter’s former board of directors. At the same time, Musk is also running several other companies, including as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk immediately fired four of Twitter’s top executives — CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, General Counsel Sean Edgett and Policy Head Vijaya Gadde. It’s unclear whether VP of Operations Lindsey Iannucci, the other two members of Twitter’s top leadership team, will remain with the company.

☆ One of Twitter's top execs quit the day after tweeting that she had a 'great discussion' with Elon Musk about the company's future
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter's CCO said she quit her job just hours after Elon Musk completed his $44 billion takeover. On Thursday, Personette tweeted that she'd had a "great discussion" with Musk. "Remember that we create the organization we want to be a part of," Personette tweeted. Personette tweeted on Thursday, just hours before the deal went through, that she'd had a "great discussion" with Musk the prior evening. Personette resigned the day after posting the tweet.

☆ Elon Musk has dissolved Twitter's 9-person board of directors and become its sole director
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has scrapped Twitter's board of directors. Musk had himself tried to join Twitter's board in the spring before clashing with then-CEO Parag Agrawal. When first outlining his plans for his ownership of Twitter, Musk said he would need to take the company private to make his desired changes. The same evening, Musk also ousted CFO Ned Segal, chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde, and general counsel Sean Edgett, sources told Insider. Musk had himself been set to join Twitter's board before he offered to buy the company, but u-turned after clashing with Agrawal over text.

☆ Elon Musk spent the weekend creating plans with his inner circle to lay off 25% of Twitter's staff, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk plans to lay off around a quarter of Twitter's staff, The Washington Post reported. His team, led by Alex Spiro, and remaining Twitter senior execs spent the weekend crafting plans, per The Post. Musk's team also assigned some of Twitter's engineers projects to work on over the weekend. Insider reported that there was a sense among workers that some of their recent tasks were a test by Musk's team to see who works hard. A person familiar with the deal told The Post that Musk is more likely to lay off around half of Twitter's staff.

☆ Elon Musk denied reports that he's speeding up Twitter layoffs to avoid paying out hefty stock grants to workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said reports he's speeding up layoffs to avoid paying out stock grants are false. Musk is set to lay off workers before Tuesday, when they're scheduled to receive stock grants, per the NYT. Media reports suggest that Musk may also avoid giving fired execs their expected multi-million-dollar payouts. The Times reported that Musk could therefore avoid paying the grants. The Information reported that the "for cause" terminations were an attempt to avoid paying out severance pay and unvested stock awards.

☆ As Elon Musk finalized his Twitter deal, company founder Jack Dorsey launched a beta for his new social media company
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jack Dorsey's decentralized social media platform, Bluesky Social, is accepting beta users. The news coincides with Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, which Dorsey founded and ran for several years. Dorsey left Twitter in 2021 and named Parag Agrawal as his successor, whom Musk fired shortly after taking over this week. Dorsey's blockchain-based Bluesky Social announced last Tuesday that it's launching soon and is currently enlisting users for beta testing. Dorsey had said in 2019 that Twitter was funding work into developing "an open and decentralized standard for social media."

☆ Elon Musk fired Twitter execs including CEO Parag Agrawal 'for cause' in a bid to avoid paying out tens of millions in severance, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk fired top Twitter execs "for cause" to avoid severance payments, The Information reported. He fired CEO Parag Agrawal and three other executives on Thursday as he completed his takeover. The execs are in line to receive up to $122 million in payouts, researchers Equilar told Reuters. Musk removed Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal, legal chief Vijaya Gadde, and general counsel Sean Edgett on Thursday after closing his $44 billion deal. His relationship with Agrawal in particular quickly soured, with the pair trading blows on Twitter and over text messages.

☆ Elon Musk says he has 'no idea who the CEO' of Twitter is after being sent an auto-email telling him 'it's time to start managing'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

He was sent an email from the company telling him to start a "managing @Twitter 101" training course. Musk tweeted that he has idea who the CEO is yet, despite calling himself "Chief Twit." Elon Musk was sent an email from Twitter telling him "it's time to start managing @Twitter 101," in reference to a training course about "what it means to be a good manager at Twitter." Musk tweeted on Sunday: "Just received this email from Twitter. Musk responded: "My title is Chief Twit right there in the bio.

☆ Elon Musk Closes Twitter Deal, Immediately Fires Top Executives
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Lauren Thomas | Alexa Corse | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Elon Musk fired several Twitter Inc. executives after completing his takeover of the company, according to people familiar with the matter, capping an unusual corporate battle and setting up one of the world’s most influential social-media platforms for potentially broad change. Mr. Musk fired Chief Executive Parag Agrawal and Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal after the deal closed, the people said. Mr. Musk also fired Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s top legal and policy executive, and Sean Edgett, general counsel. Spokespeople for Twitter didn’t comment.

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