Twitter Chief Elon Musk Apologises For Mocking Former Disabled Employee In Tweet Storm

New Delhi: Yesterday, Haraldur Thorleifsson, a former employee, was made fun of for his disability by Twitter's CEO. The two were involved in a war of words about the latter's employment and remuneration. The millionaire has since expressed regret to Mr. Thorleifsson for having "misunderstood his circumstances."

Mr. Thorleifsson, also known as "Halli" on Twitter, has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. Mr. Musk had questioned the Icelandic businessman about his profession, his disability, and his need for accommodations. According to the millionaire, Mr. Thorleifsson is affluent and has a "prominent, busy Twitter account," and the reason he challenged me in public was to receive a sizable payoff.

Mr. Halli addressed the billionaire and described his health issue, which prevents him from doing some things. He also made fun of Mr. Musk, who, despite being physically active, had security accompany him to the bathroom.

Oh! I forgot to mention that I read you can't go to the toilet on your own either @elonmusk

I'm sorry to hear about that. I know the feeling.

The only difference is I can't do it because of a physical disability and you're afraid someone you hurt will attack you while you poop. https://t.co/0XcsMpJW9z  Halli (iamharaldur) March 7, 2023

Many individuals showed up in Mr. Halli's defence and criticised the billionaire's handling of the incident as being disrespectful and disappointing. A user endorsed Mr. Halli's work ethic and tagged the billionaire. The Icelandic businessman is "exactly the kind of person you want on your team," he even said.

"This is extremely disheartening to watch as someone who has worked closely with @iamharaldur during a turnaround. His talent and humility are of the highest calibre, in addition to his superior work ethic. Just the type of guy you need on your side when the cards are stacked against you.

I have a strong suspicion that "did no actual work" is being used here with a profound misunderstanding "stated the user. The billionaire then claimed that he called Mr. Thorleifsson "to find out what's real vs. what I was told" after taking this into account.

Based on your comment, I just did a videocall with Halli to figure out what’s real vs what I was told. It’s a long story.

Better to talk to people than communicate via tweet.  Elon Musk (elonmusk) March 7, 2023

"I would want to apologise to Halli for my misunderstanding of his circumstances," Mr. Musk said in a statement. He tweeted: "Halli, please accept my apology for my misinterpretation of your predicament. It was based on information I was given that was either false or, in some circumstances, correct but meaningless."