London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Elon Musk accuses laid-off Twitter employee of using their disability as an 'excuse' to do 'no actual work'

Elon Musk accuses laid-off Twitter employee of using their disability as an 'excuse' to do 'no actual work'

Haraldur Thorleifsson, a former director at Twitter, says he has a form of muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.
Elon Musk has accused a laid-off Twitter employee of using their disability as an "excuse" to do "no actual work."

The accusation was aimed at Haraldur Thorleifsson, a former Twitter director who engaged in a public spat with Musk on Monday.

Musk tweeted: "The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm. Can't say I have a lot of respect for that."

Musk added: "But was he fired? No, you can't be fired if you weren't working in the first place!"

A statement on Thorleifsson's personal website, posted before his altercation with Musk, says: "I have genetic muscle atrophy, often called muscle dystrophy. The one I have is called Dysferlinopathy. I use a wheelchair and I am slowly but surely losing strength in my upper body and arms. I don't like it but that doesn't really change anything."

Twitter and Thorleifsson didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.


Thorleifsson, who is based in Reykjavik, Iceland, joined Twitter as a full-time employee in 2021 after Twitter acquired Ueno, a creative agency he founded. He was named by several Icelandic media outlets as the nation's person of the year for 2022.

Amid his spat with Musk on Monday, Thorleifsson posted a picture of himself in a wheelchair. He later posted a Twitter thread describing the effects of muscular dystrophy on his body.


His exchange with Musk kicked off when he tagged the Twitter owner in a tweet that said: "9 days ago the access to my work computer was cut, along with about 200 other Twitter employees. However your head of HR is not able to confirm if I am an employee or not. You've not answered my emails. Maybe if enough people retweet you'll answer me here?"

Thorleifsson said later he'd received an email from Twitter's head of HR, who confirmed he was no longer employed by the company.

Disabled employees at Twitter filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in November, saying Musk's new "extremely hardcore" work culture and orders to "work long hours at high intensity" forced them to resign.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×