Elon Musk Apologises After Brutally Mocking Laid-Off Employee With Disability

Twitter's Chief Executive Officer made headlines yesterday for mocking a former employee Haraldur Thorleifsson for his disability. The two were engaged in a war of words over the latter's employment and payment. Now, the billionaire has apologised to Mr Thorleifsson for the "misunderstanding of his situation." 

Mr Musk had quizzed the Icelandic entrepreneur about his work, questioned his disability (Mr Thorleifsson, known as "Halli" on Twitter, has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair) and his need for accommodations. The billionaire also said that Mr Thorleifsson has a "prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy" and the "reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout." 

Mr Halli explained his health condition to the billionaire, which does not allow him to do certain things but also took a dig at Mr Musk, who, despite being physically fit, has security accompanying 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. https://t.co/0XcsMpJW9z

— Halli (@iamharaldur) March 7, 2023

Many people came in support of Mr Halli and said that the billionaire's way of dealing with the situation was simply disrespectful and disappointing. A user tagged the billionaire and vouched for Mr Halli's work ethic. He even stated that the Icelandic entrepreneur is "exactly the kind of person you want on your team".

"As someone who has worked directly with @iamharaldur during a turnaround, this is super disappointing to see. Not only is his work ethic next level, his talent and humility are world class. Exactly the kind of person you want on your team when the odds are stacked. I feel certain there's a deep misunderstanding somewhere in here of "did no actual work"," the user said. 

Taking this into consideration, the billionaire then stated that he called Mr Thorleifsson "to figure out what's real vs what I was told". 

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful.

He is considering remaining at Twitter.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

Mr Musk mentioned that he "would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation". He tweeted, "I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful."

The billionaire also stated that the entrepreneur "is considering remaining at Twitter."