In a significant legal victory, Gary Rooney, a former senior executive at Twitter, won an unfair termination case in Ireland’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
The case stems from Elon Musk’s 2022 ultimatum to Twitter employees requiring them to commit to “extremely hardcore” work conditions or face termination. Rooney, who had been with the company for nine years, refused to agree to Musk’s demands and was consequently dismissed from his position. The WRC ruled in Rooney’s favor, awarding him €550,000 ($605,000) in compensation.
The WRC adjudication officer, Michael MacNamee, found Musk’s ultimatum unreasonable, noting that refusal to agree to the email’s conditions did not amount to resignation.
Therefore, the termination was unjustified, as Rooney’s decision not to click “yes” should not have led to his dismissal. This ruling highlighted the problematic nature of Musk’s employment practices, particularly the lack of clarity and fairness in how employees were expected to respond.
The ultimatum email, sent in November 2022 shortly after Musk’s takeover of Twitter, informed employees they had 24 hours to commit to “extremely hardcore” work conditions, including long hours and high intensity.
The email provided a link for staff to click if they agreed to remain at the company. Those who didn’t comply within the given time frame were to be terminated and offered three months of severance pay. This high-pressure tactic left many employees, including Rooney, in a difficult position.
MacNamee criticized the 24-hour deadline as inadequate and unreasonable for such a major decision regarding employees’ futures. He also emphasized that no employee could be blamed for rejecting such an open-ended, unqualified commitment. In Rooney’s case, Twitter’s HR department confirmed his dismissal was solely due to his failure to click the email link, despite uncertainties about severance details or potential consequences.
Rooney’s case is not an isolated incident, as several of Musk’s former employees have taken legal action over perceived unjust terminations or workplace conditions. Earlier this year, a former SpaceX employee filed a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination and failures in basic safeguarding measures, demonstrating ongoing discontent with Musk’s management style across his companies.
