Ex-Twitter executive says Musk fired him for raising security concerns

A former executive who worked under Elon Musk after he purchased Twitter filed a lawsuit against the tech billionaire, claiming he was fired for raising concerns about security issues on the platform now known as X.

Alan Rosa, the former head of Twitter’s global information security, filed the suit in a New Jersey federal court Tuesday night. Rosa accused the company of breaching contract, unlawful termination, retaliation and other claims in the amended complaint.

The plaintiff alleged that under Musk’s leadership, he was given until midnight on Dec. 1, 2022, to cut the physical security of the company building by 50 percent — after significant cuts and already been made. He was also forced to shut down the Salesforce software company used to communicate data with law enforcement agencies across the globe — a move that he claims violated the Digital Service Act (DSA).

“The physical building, whose security he had to immediately cut, stored over 800 laptops and other electronic devices that were subject to litigation holds, per Court Orders, which required the Company to ensure that the physical data on the laptops and other electronic devices in the building were preserved and were not removed, destroyed, or altered in any way,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit said Rosa disclosed his opposition to the move to Jim Baker, the deputy general counsel of Twitter’s legal team, and he “reiterated the difficulties and consequences of recklessly turning off the solution without an alternative, as Twitter would be violating the DSA and jurisdictional rules around the globe.”

Rosa was informed hours after he voiced his concerns that he would no longer be overseeing the physical security team. Five days later, his company access was revoked without notice, the lawsuit states.

The former executive asserts that the company did not provide a reason for the termination, arguing in his suit that retaliation for opposing the budget cuts was likely the reason.

Since Musk took over last year, the company has faced numerous lawsuits. A handful of ex-Twitter employees filed a class-action lawsuit over the decision to cut 3,700 staff jobs.

The Hill has reached out to X for comment.