Alan Rosa, Twitter’s former global head of security, information technology, and privacy, has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, X (formerly Twitter), and Steve Davis, a company advisor, alleging wrongful termination. Rosa claims he was fired for objecting to cost-cutting measures implemented by Davis under Musk’s orders after the acquisition of Twitter by Musk.
According to the lawsuit, Davis engaged in cost-cutting measures that Rosa believed would undermine the company’s compliance with obligations and regulations, such as a Federal Trade Commission consent decree and the Digital Services Act (DSA) enacted by the European Commission. Rosa objected to Davis’s decision to stop paying for an “ethical hacking program called ‘HackerOne'” and other “vulnerability management software” necessary for compliance with the FTC Consent Decree. He also protested the termination of the use of Salesforce, which contained data the company needed to share with law enforcement.
Rosa further claimed that Davis ordered a 50% cut to the physical security budget, which posed a substantial danger to public safety, as the building stored over 800 laptops and electronic devices subject to litigation holds. Rosa alleges that he was fired a few days after voicing his objections and that X started a “sham investigation” into his workplace conduct.
The lawsuit alleges violations of employee-related laws, including the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act, New York and California labor rules, and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. Rosa is seeking relief for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. This lawsuit adds to others filed by former Twitter employees regarding the significant cost-cutting efforts and changes implemented by Musk following the acquisition of the company.
