X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is facing legal troubles once again. X Social Media, a legal marketing company, has filed a lawsuit against X, claiming that the new name of the social media platform infringes on its trademark. This adds to the company’s existing legal challenges, as another lawsuit looms ahead.
In another legal development, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has taken legal action against X, alleging that the company unlawfully terminated an employee. According to CNBC, the NLRB’s complaint states that X fired Yao Yue, a principal software engineer, for criticizing the company’s return-to-office policy after Elon Musk’s takeover last year.
The NLRB argues that X’s termination of Yue violated the National Labor Relations Act. It claims that Yue was fired after attempting to organize fellow Twitter employees who were dissatisfied with Musk’s sudden changes to the company’s work requirements.
Musk’s alleged statement, “If you can physically make it to an office and you don’t show up, resignation accepted,” caused concern and outrage among several employees, according to the NLRB. Yue responded by encouraging employees not to resign but to let the company fire them instead, stating that they would gain nothing from resignation. She also shared a similar message in the company’s Slack channel.
The legal charge document highlights the responses Yue’s messages received from many colleagues. Meanwhile, Musk allegedly instructed his management team to monitor online posts and Slack communications “to identify who should be fired,” as stated in the document.
Yue was dismissed five days later, with the reason given as a breach of an unspecified company policy. The document states, “Ms. Yue alleges that Twitter chose her for layoff in retaliation for her attempt to organize her co-workers not to resign, so they would have better legal footing to challenge any separation from Twitter.”
The NLRB accuses X of “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed” under national labor law.
To rectify what it considers unfair labor practices, the NLRB intends to seek compensation for any financial losses Yue suffered or may suffer in the future, as well as other damages caused by X’s alleged misconduct. The case is scheduled for a hearing in San Francisco on January 30.
