Tech billionaire Elon Musk this weekend on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, said that he would cover legal fees for people mistreated by their employers for liking or posting anything on the platform.
Musk shared the following: “If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill.”
He followed up stating there is “no limit” to the legal fees the company will pay for.
With a 50% drop in advertising revenue announced in July, it is unclear how much X Corp. would be willing to pay for Twitter users’ troubles, but Musk remains one of the richest men in the world.
Musk has not shared further details about how users requesting legal support will be vetted or what he considers to be “unfair treatment” by employers.
The company has not responded to inquiries for more information about who qualifies for legal support and how users will be vetted.
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Musk and free speech issues
Musk has been vocal about supporting free-speech causes on X. Since taking over the company, he’s allowed many previously banned users to return—including former President Donald Trump. He’s loosened up the moderation policies and fired much of the content moderation team—the group overseeing hate speech and other forms of potentially harmful content on the platform.
But Musk’s commitment to free speech has not come without consequences for some who exercise that right: Musk temporarily suspended several journalists who wrote about the organization and banned an account that tracks the flight path of his private jet with publicly available information.
Musk also publicly fired an employee who criticized him on the platform and laid off other employees who have criticized Musk behind closed doors, according to reports.
How has Musk changed Twitter?
Along with rebranding Twitter to X, Musk added a premium service called Twitter Blue (now rebranded to X Blue). The $8 a month membership gives users access to a variety of subscriber features, including the official blue verification checkmark. Prior to Musk’s takeover of X/Twitter last year, the checkmark was granted to public figures and organizations who provided proof of identity and met standards of notability and authenticity.
Since buying Twitter for $44 billion last fall, Musk has gutted more than 80% of its staff, reducing it from 8,000 to 1,500. He has also fired or forced out top executives – and in some cases entire teams − in key operational and security roles designed to counter election disinformation, hate speech and other problems on the platform.
Earlier this year, Musk named Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO. Yaccarino was previously head of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal and oversaw 2,000 employees and $13 billion in annual advertising revenue.
