Elon Musk recently announced that his social media platform, “X,” will cover the legal expenses of users who have faced unfair treatment by their employers due to their posts or likes on the platform. In a post made on X, he stated that if individuals encounter adverse consequences at work because of their activity on the platform, the company will fully fund their legal bills. Musk emphasized that there will be no restrictions on the financial support provided for this purpose.
Elon Musk stated that X will not only support legal action but will also make significant noise and target the boards of directors of companies. This will happen if users face unfair treatment from their employers due to their posts or actions on the platform.
However, Musk did not provide specific details on the process for users to claim money for their legal fees. Users, including celebrities and public figures, have faced repercussions with their employers over controversial content posted, liked, or reposted on X.
Last month, Musk shared that X reached a “new high” in monthly users, exceeding 540 million. The company is currently undergoing organizational changes and seeking to improve declining advertising revenue.
After 17 years with Twitter’s iconic blue bird logo, Musk rebranded the platform to X in July, aiming to create an all-encompassing “everything app.” Earlier in July, Musk acknowledged the platform’s negative cash flow due to a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and significant debt.
Despite expectations of an advertising revenue upturn in June, the expected improvement did not materialize.
Lack of moderation of hate speech
Since Elon Musk purchased the social media platform for $44 billion last October, its advertising business has experienced a decline, partly due to its alleged lack of moderation of hate speech and the reemergence of previously banned far-right accounts.
Musk has consistently emphasized his commitment to free speech as the driving force behind the platform’s changes and has criticized what he perceives as threats to free expression caused by shifting cultural sensitivities.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit organization, reports that hate speech has thrived on the platform. However, X disputes these findings and is suing the CCDH.
In December, Musk reinstated former US President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, although Trump has not yet returned to the platform. Trump was banned from Twitter earlier in 2021 due to his involvement in the January 6 attack on the Capitol Building, where his supporters sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Recently, X restored rapper and designer Kanye West’s account about eight months after suspending it for an antisemitic post, as per media reports.
