Lawsuit says Musk's Twitter layoffs unfairly targeted women
Complainants "have never seen anything like this"
Two women who lost their jobs at Twitter after Elon Musk took over allege that the company unfairly targeted women in recent layoffs, which impacted around half of the firm's employees.
Carolina Bernal Strifling and Willow Wren Turkal have filed a case in a federal court in San Francisco challenging the mass layoffs, alleging that they discriminated against female employees.
The company announced mass layoffs days after Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion. The firm told staff that around half of them may lose their jobs, but they would still get three months of severance pay.
The proposed class action alleges that Twitter fired 57% of its female employees compared to only 47% of its male employees after Musk took over.
Women who worked in engineering jobs had an even higher likelihood of being terminated, with 63% of women being dismissed compared to just 48% of males.
Even before the layoffs, Twitter apparently hired more men overall - not an unusual situation for the tech sector.
'Elon Musk has made a number of publicly discriminatory remarks about women, further confirming that the mass termination's greater impact on female employees resulted from discrimination,' according to the complaint [pdf].
Twitter is charged with breaking federal and California rules that prohibit sex discrimination at work.
Shannon Liss-Riordan, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said women "had targets on their backs" once Musk bought the firm, regardless of their contribution and abilities.
Wren Turkal said at a press conference that while she had seen acquisitions at other firms, she had "never seen anything like this."
"I have a family, I have a kid to support," she said.
"All that we're looking for is fairness. I'm also worried about my friends who are financially in a difficult position or are in a difficult position for visa reasons."
Since the widespread layoffs, a number of former workers have filed lawsuits against Twitter.
One sacked employee filed a lawsuit last month alleging that Musk's requirements that employees "be incredibly hardcore" and work long hours caused disabled staff to resign.
Other claims alleged that employees who were laid off did not get the promised severance compensation or the legally required prior notice.
At least three employees have individually filed complaints against the company with the US National Labor Relations Board, saying they suffered reprisals for demanding improved working conditions.
Twitter has faced several challenges since Musk's acquisition. This week, it came to light that makeshift bedrooms had been set up in conference rooms at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, the apparent manifestation of Musk's "extremely hardcore" work philosophy.
The Department of Building Inspection in San Francisco is now investigating.
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