Tuesday December 13:
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey speaks. In a blog post, Dorsey made another mea culpa for failures on Twitter. This time he apologized for his role in controlling speech, saying that no media platform should have the power to remove material posted online and that moderation should be done by algorithms. Dorsey also wrote that Twitter staff acted in good faith and that public abuse of them should stop. He did not name Musk in his post.
Twitter has reportedly stopped paying rent. The New York Times reported that Musk is aggressively seeking to cut costs at Twitter, in part by not paying rent on his offices. According to the Times, the leadership team has discussed denying severance payments to laid-off workers. Go on reports that the company had stopped paying key suppliers.
Twitter dissolves its independent Trust and Safety Council. The group of independent experts advised the company on how to maintain a secure platform. Last Thursday, three of its members resigned in protest of Musk’s actions as owner of the site, and this morning the remaining members received an email telling them that Twitter was shutting down their committee. Anti-bullying expert Alex Holmes, who was on the council, tweeted that the body treatment was “unfortunate and unacceptable.”
Monday December 12:
Yoel Roth, former head of trust and security at Twitter, runs away from home. The recently deceased executive had faced extensive online harassment and threats of violence after Musk accused him of advocating for the sexualization of children and released documents about his decisions at the company. CNN reported.
Twitter is auctioning off its office supplies. After extensive layoffs, the company enlisted an auctioneer to sell the leftover office supplies. Lots on offer include a three-foot sculpture of the Twitter bird logo, stationary bikes, chairs, desks, computers, and kitchen utensils.
Another installment of the “Twitter Files” is published. Again it was about the suspension of Donald Trump’s Twitter account. Journalist Bari Weiss reported that while many Twitter staff members campaigned for the ban, some employees (including moderation experts) challenged it. This release seemed to directly contradict a previous installment of Twitter Files, which said that only a staff member raised an objection to Trump’s ban.
