Advertisement We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it. One-off amount I already contribute Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. Investigates Investigates Money Diaries Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Elon Musk took over Twitter, now known as X, in 2022.Alamy Stock Photo Labour Court Musk's Twitter takeover gave Irish staff less than 48 hours to decide their future In the email, staff were told that they would need to be “extremely hardcore” in building “Twitter 2.0”. 6.17pm, 29 Jul 2025 Share options THE TAKEOVER OF Twitter by billionaire businessman Elon Musk in 2022 created “uncertainty and fear” among staff after they were given less than 48 hours to make a decision about their future with the company, the Labour Court has heard. A former senior executive in the company’s Dublin office, Gary Rooney, told a hearing on Tuesday that he was given “an ultimatum to sign up to a new reality” following Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the social media platform (now known as X). Rooney described the change in the business after the billionaire’s takeover as “fairly chaotic.” The claim was made during an appeal by Twitter International against a ruling by the Workplace Relations Commission that it should pay a record award of €550,131 in compensation to Rooney after ruling that he had been unfairly dismissed from his job. Rooney is separately appealing the award amount and claiming the figure should be €689,406 to represent the maximum sum of two years’ remuneration. He estimates his ongoing monthly loss at €16,753. The Labour Court heard his total remuneration for 2022 was €344,703 including a basic salary of €137,000 plus bonuses, pension contributions and other benefits including restricted stock units. Rooney, who was Director of Source to Pay with Twitter, claims the company decided he had resigned when he failed to click a button requiring him to agree new unspecified pay and conditions within a short deadline in response to an email entitled “A Fork in the Road” from Musk on 16 November 2022. However, Twitter maintains that Rooney was never dismissed and it was perfectly clear that he was choosing to leave the organisation when he decided not to click a “Yes” button to remain. Twitter is also disputing that restricted stock units awarded on a discretionary basis should be part of the calculation of his remuneration and claims Rooney’s estimated losses are “wildly inaccurate.” In evidence, Rooney said he never considered that he had resigned from the company. He claimed Musk’s takeover of the company was “very consequential” as there were rumours of substantial layoffs among its workforce. “The prevailing mood was anxiety and fear about what could come down the road,” he recalled. The three-person Labour Court division chaired by Louise O’Donnell heard 50% of Twitter’s global staff were made redundant within two weeks, while Mr Rooney had no time to argue a case for keeping his own team of nine employees. He noted that all decisions were being made by a small team of people from other companies owned by Musk such as Tesla and SpaceX. Rooney told his counsel, Padraic Lyons SC, that an instruction to stop all payments to suppliers as well as expenses to staff resulted in a “very stressful” and “very emotional time.” He recalled seeing Musk’s email for the first time when he was on a Dart at around 8am on 16 November 2022. “I really didn’t know what to think or what it would mean,” he added. In the email, staff were told that they would need to be “extremely hardcore” in building “Twitter 2.0” and “only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.” Anyone who did not click “yes” by 10pm Irish time the following day would receive three months’ severance. Although he always regarded himself as high performing and someone who worked long hours, Rooney said he did not know if he would make the passing grade. He pointed out he received another document at 2.19am on 17 November 2022 which sought to clarify issues about Musk’s email. Rooney said it seemed to have been sent because the email did not seem like an official communication from a head of an organisation and staff had regarded it with “confusion and disbelief.” He did not know what he was being asked to sign up to and there was no chain of command from which he could get further information. Rooney said he expected his work hours would be extended and he would be asked to work very late into the night and through weekends which he was not prepared to do. He told the hearing that a webinar hosted from San Francisco on 16 November 2022 had provided no extra useful information but that Mr Musk expected a lot from his staff. The message was that Twitter’s owner was a great person and everything he did was for the betterment of humanity, Rooney recalled. Advertisement He claimed workers were told that they should be enthusiastic about working for the businessman “because of the person that he was.” The Labour Court heard that Rooney’s access to his work computer system was cut off in the middle of the night on 17 November 2022. He claimed Twitter had failed to reply to him within three days as promised when he had complained that he had not resigned or even seen any separation agreement. In correspondence on 7 December 2022, he was informed that the company was treating his decision not to click the “Yes” button as him serving notice to resign. Rooney said further letters from his solicitor to Twitter did not receive any response. He claimed he was given inadequate notice to make a significant decision about his career. “To have 12 hours to make a decision of that magnitude – I don’t think that was reasonable,” he remarked. Rooney gave evidence that he applied for at least 68 other positions before securing alternative employment with a large financial institution nine months later. The Labour Court heard that his current total remuneration in his new job is €135,000 including a basic salary of €109,000. Under cross-examination by counsel for Twitter, Cathy Smith SC, Rooney accepted it was clear that he needed to click “Yes” if he wanted to stay working with the company. However, he claimed it was not just if you wanted to stay but stay under new conditions which were unclear. “I did not know what pressing ‘Yes’ meant,” he remarked. Rooney accepted that no threat had been made to employees but said he disagreed with the principle of what was being done in the email. Smith said he had also posted messages to colleagues that he was leaving the company and the reality was that he did not want to work for a company owned by Musk. However, Rooney replied that it was “not that black and white” as he had been unhappy many times over the years with the direction of Twitter’s leadership but he had stuck it out. He stressed he would have returned to work if access to his computer system had not been cut. In an opening submission, Lyons said Rooney had been an exemplary employee with long and distinguished service over nine years with Twitter. However, the barrister said Musk’s acquisition of the company had resulted in a “profound attack on established norms” and an attempt to dismantle staff entitlements. He claimed the “Fork in the Road” email was “totally extraordinary and unprecedented.” Lyons described what happened as “a paradigm case of unfair dismissal.” However, Smith disputed that Rooney had been dismissed and noted his role had not been identified as redundant, despite a significant reduction in the company’s workforce. The barrister highlighted how the company’s difficulties had begun before Musk’s takeover in 2022. She observed that Rooney was the only person to claim he had been unfairly dismissed and to be confused about what the email had meant. Smith said he had also never raised a grievance before he left his employment with Twitter on 18 December 2022. She also noted that payments to suppliers and expenses to staff had been paused to allow a complete audit of such payments to be carried out. The Labour Court heard Twitter’s global workforce has been reduced from 8,000 to just over 1,000, while the number of staff in its Dublin office has fallen from 270 to just over 100. The hearing was adjourned and will resume tomorrow, when it is expected to conclude. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Support The Journal Seán McCárthaigh Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Musk's Twitter takeover gave Irish staff less than 48 hours to decide their future”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Musk's Twitter takeover gave Irish staff less than 48 hours to decide their future”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... Labour Court Social Media News in 60 seconds UK will recognise State of Palestine in September unless Israel reaches ceasefire in Gaza The candidate Summer recess political awards: Tell us who you think are the winners and losers of this Dáil 15 mins ago Emergency services at the scene of multi-vehicle crash in Dublin 24 mins ago Lost at Sea Inis Oírr message in a bottle could help solve mystery of missing Taiwanese fishermen 27 mins ago Owners of Vuse vaping devices say new tax on e-cigarettes would help tackle €220m illegal market Government accused in High Court of breaching international law over Israeli weapon 'flyovers' Evening Wrap The 5 at 5: Tuesday Maguiresbridge Suspect in shooting of mother and children in Co Fermanagh dies in hospital Paul Gallagher Older brother of Oasis members Noel and Liam Gallagher charged with rape this just in Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly announced as new Garda Commissioner, succeeding Drew Harris Man sentenced to death by Lebanon court over killing of Irish soldier Private Seán Rooney more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The Journal supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online