Topline
The latest lawsuit filed by former Twitter employees alleges that Elon Musk’s company disproportionately targeted women in its recent layoffs that affected roughly half of the platform’s workforce, and that female staff “had targets on their backs.”
Elon Musk attends the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference on July 7, 2015, in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Key Facts
Under Musk’s helm, Twitter laid off 57% of the women who worked at the company and only 47% of the men, according to the proposed class action filed late Wednesday in a San Francisco federal court.
Women in engineering roles were even more likely to have been fired, with 63% of women being let go compared to 48% of men, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of by two of the women who were fired, claims the layoffs violated state and federal laws that prohibit sex discrimination in the workplace.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Shannon Liss-Riordan, a labor attorney known for her class action suits against companies like Uber and Starbucks, described women at Twitter as having “targets on their backs” in a statement after Musk acquired the company in October for $44 billion, despite their contributions to the platform.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a Forbes request for comment.
Tangent
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal actions taken by former Twitter employees since the rampant layoffs. Last month, another employee who was fired filed a suit claiming that Musk’s demands that workers “be extremely hardcore” and “work long hours at high intensity” in order to stay at the company forced disabled workers to resign. Other lawsuits claim laid-off workers were not given legally required advance notice and did not receive the severance packages the company promised.
Key Background
Twitter has faced a series of challenges since Musk’s acquisition. Earlier this week, it came to light that makeshift bedrooms had been set up in conference rooms at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, the apparent manifestation of Musk’s “extremely hardcore” work philosophy. San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection is investigating the complaint. In response, Musk asked in a tweet why the city “attacks companies for providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl.” Twitter last week reportedly launched an aggressive campaign to recoup lost advertising dollars since Musk took over.
Further Reading
Latest Twitter lawsuit says company targeted women for layoffs (Reuters)
Female Twitter staff had ‘targets on their backs’ in Elon Musk’s layoffs, a lawsuit claimed (Business Insider)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/12/08/new-lawsuit-claims-elon-musks-twitter-layoffs-targeted-women/