Elon Musk targeted Twitter's top executive Vijaya Gadde on Wednesday, criticizing her decision to block the account of the New York Post in 2020. He termed the suspension of account as an extremely inappropriate decision. Gadde, who is policy head and overlooks sensitive matters on Twitter, had made the decision to suspend the NY Post's Twitter account over outlet's revelations regarding Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings.
"Suspending the Twitter account of a major news organization for publishing a truthful story was obviously incredibly inappropriate," Musk said in a tweet.
Gadde Cried During Official Meet After Musk Bought Twitter
His tweet came as it emerged that Gadde had cried during a virtual meeting with policy and legal teams on Monday after the billionaire bought Twitter.
Three people familiar with the meeting revealed that she cried during the meeting, expressing concerns about how the company's functions could change.
Gadde became emotional as she told the team she is proud of their work, said Twitter spokesperson Trenton Kennedy.
"I think everyone at Twitter, regardless of how they feel about the news, is feeling reflective and emotional. We've gone through a lot in the past two years and I think it's generally instigated a lot of reflection. I think this was more of an acknowledgment of the uncertainty everyone is feeling right now," said a Twitter employee, according to Politico.
Gadde has been making leading decisions at Twitter related to policy, safety, and public policy functions. She had been part of the team since 2011 and was the main decision-maker in sensitive cases related to dangerous speech, harassment, and others.
Gadde Blocked Trump From Twitter
Notably, she played the main role in removing former president Donald Trump from Twitter following the January 6 Capitol riot. Gadde's decision had given her a huge number of followers who welcomed Trump's banning from the micro-blogging site.
Rumors are also rife that it could be difficult for Gadde to retain her position as Musk, who might consider her policy decision as a threat to free speech, has acquired the micro-blogging platform.
Elon Musk has also expressed anger on Twitter employees over censorship and pointed out that they could sabotage the micro-blogging site's network after he secured the deal.
The billionaire vowed that the platform will respect freedom of speech and pointed out that he is against censorship.
"By free speech, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask the government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people," said Musk in a tweet.
