X must pay compensation of EUR 550,000, or approximately HUF 220 million when converted, to a former employee in Ireland who, according to the court, was unlawfully dismissed – The Guardian writesGary Rooney's crime was that he did not respond to an email from Elon Musk, who took over the company at the time, which Twitter interpreted as a voluntary resignation.
A few weeks after buying Twitter, Musk sent an email to all employees, writing: “To build Twitter 2.0 into the future and succeed in the ever-increasing competition, we will have to work extremely hard. That means working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will mean a pass.”
“If you are sure you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below,” the email concluded. Additionally, they wrote that anyone who did not click the link would receive a severance package equal to three months of their salary.
Ronnie did not click on the link and received an email from the company three days later stating that they had acknowledged his decision to terminate his employment and accepted his voluntary resignation. Not long after that, he was locked out of the company’s systems.
Rooney later indicated on Twitter that he had not resigned voluntarily, and had not seen or signed the resignation document. He took legal action in an employment tribunal in Ireland, claiming he had been unfairly dismissed, and claimed he had resigned of his own accord.
Twitter, which has since been renamed X, argued in court that Ronnie's decision not to click on the link amounted to a termination of service. The court disagreed and ordered X to pay €550,000 in damages.
This is the largest unfair dismissal award in Irish history, and includes Rooney's lost earnings between January 2023 and May 2024 (€350,000) and an estimated loss of future earnings (€200,000).
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has become not only the owner of X, but also a Trump supporter. In a June 12 interview, he asked for a position in Trump’s upcoming cabinet, something the former president had promised him.
