Twitter Content Safety Executive Resigns Following Criticism from Elon Musk

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A high-ranking Twitter executive responsible for ensuring safety and moderating content has resigned from the company. This departure comes shortly after Twitter owner Elon Musk publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the platform’s handling of posts related to transgender topics. The resignation highlights a new wave of instability among key officials at Twitter since Musk assumed control last year.

Ella Irwin, the Head of Trust and Safety at Twitter, confirmed her resignation through a series of tweets on Friday evening. Although she did not disclose the specific reasons for her departure in the message, it closely followed Musk’s criticism of Twitter’s approach to tweets discussing a conservative media company’s documentary questioning medical treatments for transgender children and teenagers.

Musk’s critique was prompted by complaints from Jeremy Boreing, the co-CEO of the media company Daily Wire. Boreing tweeted and retweeted statements from conservative commentators, alleging that Twitter was suppressing the movie by flagging related posts as hate speech and excluding it from trending topics lists.

Boreing further stated that Twitter canceled a deal to premiere the documentary, titled “What is a Woman?,” for free on the platform due to two instances of “misgendering.” Twitter’s rules prohibit intentionally referring to transgender individuals using the wrong gender or name.

In response to these claims, Musk tweeted, “This was a mistake by many people at Twitter. It is definitely allowed. Whether or not you agree with using someone’s preferred pronouns, not doing so is at most rude and certainly breaks no laws.”

On Friday, Irwin tweeted that her departure had been noticed by a few individuals the day before, acknowledging speculation about whether she was fired or resigned. She playfully hinted at posting 24 tweets to explain her decision but then revealed that she was just kidding about the lengthy narrative.

“In all seriousness, I did resign, but this has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m incredibly grateful to have worked with this amazing team of passionate, creative, and hardworking individuals. I will continue to support and cheer for all of you and Twitter as you move forward!”

Alongside Musk, Irwin had been one of the most prominent figures responsible for shaping Twitter’s ever-evolving content policies in recent months. Since Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October, the platform has faced challenges in attracting advertisers due to his drastic changes and relaxation of rules regarding hate speech. Additionally, Twitter awaits the arrival of its new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, a respected industry veteran with extensive experience in media and advertising. However, she has not assumed her role yet.

Neither Irwin nor Twitter responded to requests for comment from The Big Big News.

Since the billionaire owner of Tesla purchased the San Francisco-based company and took it private, Twitter has experienced turmoil, including mass layoffs and voluntary departures. The head of trust and safety at the company left shortly after the acquisition, and turnover in top leadership positions has persisted. Last month, Twitter terminated two more senior managers.

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