Elon Musk, the tech mogul and now owner of X (formerly Twitter), faces a lawsuit from four former top executives of the social media platform, alleging unpaid severance totalling over $128 million. Parag Agrawal (former CEO), Ned Segal (ex-CFO), Vijaya Gadde (ex-legal chief), and Sean Edgett (former general counsel) claim they were wrongfully terminated by Musk following his acquisition of Twitter.
In response to a sarcastic post about the lawsuit, Musk reacted with a “tears of joy” emoji on X, further engaging with comments that poked fun at the situation. The lawsuit contends that Musk sought to evade paying severance by dismissing them before their stock options vested.
Did you know that Twitter’s ex CEO has an emoji for himself? pic.twitter.com/HMOqzkYZie
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) March 5, 2024
The executives, who steered Twitter through a tumultuous takeover process marked by legal battles against Musk, assert that they were terminated on false grounds of gross negligence and willful misconduct, allegations they vehemently deny, as per the Wall Street Journal.
According to the lawsuit filed by the former Twitter executives, “Musk simply fired them without reason, then fabricated baseless accusations of gross negligence and willful misconduct.” The complaint alleges that Musk’s employees were tasked with concocting evidence to justify his predetermined decision, ultimately failing to substantiate the claims.
A spokesperson for X declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.
The lawsuit sheds light on the contentious aftermath of Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and underscores the tensions between the tech titan and the former leadership team. As legal battles ensue, the outcome remains uncertain, leaving the tech industry and observers closely monitoring the developments.
