Former Twitter security head sues Musk, X over unlawful sacking

SAN FRANCISCO: Former Twitter IT security head Alan Rosa has filed a lawsuit against X, its owner Elon Musk and company adviser Steve Davis, alleging that he was sacked for protesting cost-cutting measures at the company that could keep Twitter from complying with the law.

Rosa, former head of global information technology and information security, claimed in the lawsuit that he was terminated in an unexplainable fashion as he did nothing wrong that would justify his termination. No reason was provided to the plaintiff explaining why he was being fired.

The lawsuit alleged that Musk gave Davis broad authority with which he immediately “began cutting Twitter’s products and services that supported and complied with the Twitter FTC Consent Decree.”

Rosa said that Davis gave him mere hours to “cut the physical security budget by an additional 50 per cent by midnight".

He objected to this, saying it would risk the company violating court orders to store hundreds of devices that were under litigation.

The suit claimed that five days after he objected, Twitter revoked Rosa’s access and fired him without reason or notice.

“Twitter terminated Plaintiff less than two months before he was to receive his bonus compensation and his February 1, 2023, vesting deliberately to deprive Plaintiff of the benefits of his bonus and equity compensation, 5.82 million in shares, which were expected to vest over the next three years,” the lawsuit read.

Although Twitter advised Rosa that he would receive his severance package, his vesting, bonus, and two months of paid COBRA benefits, as was being provided to all other laid-off Company employees.

However, Twitter never provided it, claiming that it was on hold pending an investigation regarding his conduct during his employment, the lawsuit alleged.

“The purported investigation into plaintiff’s conduct was a sham investigation, in an attempt to deprive him of his severance package” and other company benefits.