Twitter CEO Elon Musk has apologized to Haraldur “Halli” Thorleifsson, who was fired from the social media platform. Their Twitter debates prompted fury among online users who opposed Musk’s behavior.
Thorleifsson sold his startup, Ueno, to Twitter in 2021, and as part of the arrangement, he joined the company. But, he just lost access to his work computer and has not heard from the human resources team. Thorleifsson became frustrated and asked Musk on Twitter if he was still employed.
Thorleifsson, who has over 187,000 followers on Twitter, has received multiple honors for his contributions to the construction of wheelchair ramps for disabled people throughout Iceland. Following his sale, Ueno garnered kudos for paying higher taxes.
Musk originally answered to Thorleifsson’s inquiries with basic questions about his job, but even his admirers questioned his tone. Thorleifsson later discovered that he had been fired by Twitter’s HR team, and Musk publicly criticized him.
Musk’s actions sparked extensive criticism, including allegations that he violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by publicizing Thorleifsson’s handicap.
Musk later apologized to Thorleifsson, saying he misunderstood the issue and that he had gone on a video conversation with him to clarify things. Musk admitted his error and apologized for his previous remarks.