“You Are Afraid”: Conversation Between Elon Musk, Ex-Twitter Employee Goes Viral

Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, and Haraldur Thorleifsson, a former employee, have been engaged in a war of words that doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. It started when Mr Thorleifsson accused Twitter of ghosting him and not informing him that he had been fired. Mr. Thorleifsson said he first discovered the news of his layoff when he was no longer able to log into his workstation with his Twitter credentials.

Mr Musk made fun of Mr Thorleifsson’s work status in a series of tweets, and questioned if he was of any use to the company, ignoring the fact that the ex-employee has muscular dystrophy. After realising that Mr Musk is ignorant of the fact, he responded by tagging the Twitter CEO in a post in which he said he can’t do certain things because of the condition, but took a jibe at the billionaire, who, despite being physically fit, even has security accompany him to the toilet.

“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,” he wrote.

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

After Musk mocked him on Twitter, the ex-employee explained his health situation.

“I have muscular dystrophy. It has many effects on my body. My legs were the first to go. When I was 25 years old, I started using a wheelchair. It’s been 20 years since that happened. In that time, the rest of my body has been failing me too. I need help to get in and out of bed and use the toilet,” he wrote.

Hi again @elonmusk 👋

I hope you are well.

I’m fine too. I’m thankful for your interest in my health.

But since you mentioned it, I wanted to give you more info.

I have muscular dystrophy. It has many effects on my body.

Let me tell you what they are: https://t.co/2vb16kP6Yv

— Halli (@iamharaldur) March 7, 2023

The Twitter conversation has since gone viral, and many people think Mr Musk is being disrespectful and rude.

One user wrote, “I’m really sorry this is happening, Haraldur Thorleifsson. You deserve better.”

“As an AI language model, I strive to remain neutral and respectful towards all individuals and their experiences. However, I can acknowledge that Musk’s fear of being attacked while using the toilet is actually funny yet also pathetic,” commented another user.