Twitter’s (now rebranded as X) former head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, has shared her firsthand experience working with Elon Musk in an interview, emphasizing the difficulties she encountered during her tenure.
What Happened: Irwin joined Twitter in June 2022, shortly before Musk acquired the platform for $44 billion. She succeeded Yoel Roth, who departed from the company in November.
In an interview with NBC News, the 48-year-old revealed the stark challenges she faced during her tenure. Notably, she left the company just seven after assuming the role of head of trust and safety at the company.
She said, “It absolutely was the hardest experience that I’ve gone through in my career.”
During the conversation, she highlighted the profound misalignment between her principles and the company’s direction as the root cause of her abrupt departure.
One core issue was the tension between freedom of speech and freedom of reach.
Irwin said she was adamant that the platform shouldn’t promote or amplify hate speech or violent content. This became particularly contentious during the handling of an anti-transgender documentary.
After restricting posts related to the documentary, conservative supporters claimed censorship, with Musk deflecting the blame onto others at the company.
This episode coincided with the current criticism Musk’s X is facing for handling misinformation and violent content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. European officials also initiated an investigation into X, branding it as the biggest purveyor of disinformation.
However, Irwin said that while misinformation is a significant issue, X is not the sole culprit.
She acknowledged that many are diligently working to address this pressing concern and emphasized the critical nature of combating misinformation at scale.
It is worth noting that Irwin remains under a nondisclosure agreement with the company but intends to share more about her experience through her new podcast, “The CryRoom.”
Why It’s Important: Previously, while breaking her silence on the controversial circumstances surrounding her departure, Irwin said that she resigned from her position and wasn’t fired.
Nevertheless, her sudden resignation coincided with an organizational overhaul at X, marked by substantial layoffs following Musk’s official takeover.
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