Elon Musk Fired African Employees.

Elon Musk is at the center of a legal battle with former African employees of the Twitter, now known as X which has led to threats of legal action due to alleged failure to pay promised compensation.

These workers, many of whom had only a few months of service at the company, were dismissed without just cause and found themselves in an uphill struggle to receive what was owed to them.

This controversy reflects not only the difficulties faced by African workers, but also the controversies surrounding the company's management under the leadership of Elon Musk, now revealed in a recent BBC documentary.

Elon Musk's Silence

Workers fired by Twitter in Africa are threatening to sue Elon Musk for failing to pay the compensation promised to them. Most had only been on the job a few months when the social media platform, now known as X, informed them they were laid off.

“It’s hard when the richest man in the world owes you money and doesn’t pay.”

One of the fired workers said in an interview with the BBC that he tried to contact X several times to get comments on the accusations, but the only thing he got, among other things, was a smiling poop emoji. It should be noted that previously, the company had already stated that it had paid the former employees in full, but, however, what is at stake are the compensation due.

Elon Musk, who took over the company last year, embarked on a massive global employee reduction, laying off more than 6.000. He had said he was losing more than 4 million dollars a day. The African contingent, around 20 employees, had just moved to X's new office in Accra, Ghana, after eight months of working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The dismissed workers, in the interview they gave to the BBC, stated that X's treatment harmed their mental health and family finances. Initially, they were told that although their contracts were being terminated, they would be paid to work another month.

However, they were immediately blocked from accessing their company emails and no further salary payments were made nor did they receive any compensation for what happened.

Legal representation

The employees turned to a firm of lawyers to represent them and have since been involved in a frustrating legal fight lasting more than a year with X and Elon Musk to receive the compensation they owe.

“Every time we get close, they stay silent for weeks on end with no explanation.”

“A year has passed since they were all fired, ignoring a contractual compensation package that is intended to protect employees against the adverse effects of a possible dismissal.”

Carla Olympio, from the company Seven Seven, which legally represents the dismissed employees, confided. In September, both parties agreed that all discussions and an agreement would have to be concluded by October 5th at the latest. But, according to the company Seven Seven, this was the most recent of many deadlines ignored by X.

In July, the BBC reported that the former African employees alleged that X had “ignored” them in the middle of negotiations, leaving them without compensation and other benefits such as health insurance, stock options and unpaid leave.

Some of them had been hired from neighboring countries like Nigeria. The termination of their contracts meant that they were stranded in Ghana, without sustainable conditions, after moving there with their families.

Mass Layoff

In a rare interview in April this year, Elon Musk told the BBC that X now has just 1.500 employees, compared to almost 8.000 at the time of Twitter's acquisition.

When news of the radical downsizing became public, Elon Musk tweeted that the laid-off employees received three months' severance pay. But the dismissed employees, from the African office, say they received nothing.

According to the company Seven Seven, X only began negotiations with the dismissed African employees after the BBC covered the story. But these negotiations seem to be in a swampy field and are not progressing.

“We are now concluding agreements with international lawyer colleagues to pursue the matter in other jurisdictions, where X may be compelled to do the right thing.”

“It is a shame that Twitter, since its acquisition by Mr. Elon Musk, is apparently so reluctant to do right by this very small African team,” said Ms. Olympio.

This lawsuit filed by African employees against X is the latest in a series of cases filed against the company by other former employees, some of whom say they have not yet been compensated following its $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last year, carried out by Elon Musk.

Shattered hopes

Earlier this year, X was the target of a lawsuit filed by former employees in a California court, alleging that the company refused to pay at least $500 million in severance packages promised by Twitter.

Globally, arbitration cases against Elon Musk's company totaled more than 2.200 as of August this year, according to a CNBC report.

A former member of the African team told the BBC they were tired of having their hopes dashed. Another said they were in shock but remained determined to get everything they were owed.

Who is Elon Musk?

The CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX is the richest person in the world and uses his platform to express his opinions on a wide range of topics.

He recently participated, in the United Kingdom, in the first global summit on the safety of Artificial Intelligence (AI), despite previously arguing that AI could lead to the extinction of humanity – without giving details about how he believed this could actually happen.

Since bursting into Silicon Valley more than two decades ago, the 52-year-old serial entrepreneur has kept audiences captivated with his entrepreneurial exploits.

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Elon Musk showed his entrepreneurial skills at an early age, selling homemade Easter eggs door to door with his brother and developing his first computer game at age 12.

He described his childhood as difficult, affected by his parents' divorce, bullying at school and his own difficulty picking up social cues due to Asperger's Syndrome, from which he suffers.

As soon as he got the chance, he left home for college, moving to Canada and then the USA, where he studied economics and physics at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university.

In a 2010 essay for Marie Claire, his first wife, Justine Musk, a writer he met in college and married in 2000, wrote that even before he made millions, Elon Musk is not the man to accept no as response.

“The drive to compete and dominate that made you so successful in business doesn’t magically turn off when you get home.”

She recalled, she added, that he told her in her ear, while they were dancing the first dance at their wedding, that he was the alpha in the relationship.

Conclusion

The lack of transparency and alleged violations of workers' rights in this case raise serious concerns about the business ethics and social responsibility of Company X (formerly Twitter). The company's evasive response, including using emojis instead of properly communicating with former employees, only makes the situation worse.

This is just another example of how large multinational companies behave towards African employees and how their actions can have significant impacts on the lives of workers. Resolving this problem is crucial to guaranteeing justice, respect and dignity for employees. Elon Musk, being African, should be the first to respect other Africans.

What do you think of this dismissal from company X, carried out by Elon Musk? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.

Picture: © 2023 DR