Another day, another legal dispute involving Elon Musk. Four former executives of Twitter, including former CEO Parag Agrawal, sued Musk on Monday, claiming they are owed over $128 million in severance pay.
When Musk acquired Twitter (now X), one of his first moves as the company’s owner was to fire Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, and lawyers Sean Edgett and Vijaya Gadde. According to the lawsuit, Musk harbors a “special animus” toward these former executives, who worked hard to ensure Musk’s $44 billion commitment was fulfilled when he attempted to retire. The lawsuit cites Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk, which quotes Musk as saying he would “hunt down each and every one” of Twitter’s top executives “until the day he dies.”
Musk has openly criticized Gadde in particular, who was involved in several high-profile content moderation decisions at Twitter. After attempting to buy Twitter, he posted memes mocking the executive, sparking a wave of online racist attacks against her.
It’s not just these executives who haven’t received their severance pay. Musk has faced multiple lawsuits from former Twitter employees who are also awaiting their checks. Under Musk’s ownership, the company has stopped paying rent for some of its offices, leading to further lawsuits and evictions.
According to the lawsuit, Musk claimed these executives committed “gross negligence” and “willful misconduct” in their termination letters, but he never could produce evidence to support his allegations.
“This is Musk’s strategy: withhold money owed to others and force them to litigate,” the lawsuit reads. “Even in defeat, Musk can impose delays, inconvenience, and expenses on those less able to afford it.”
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director