A former Twitter engineer has come forward to deny allegations of leaking company information to the press, claiming that he was unjustly fired by Elon Musk.
What Happened: Randall Lin was let go from X, formerly Twitter, in February 2023, a few months after Musk acquired the social media platform. Lin revealed this in a book by journalist Zoë Schiffer in her new book, reported Business Insider.
Lin was accused of being the source behind two articles published on a tech newsletter. He had joined Twitter as a machine-learning engineer in February 2020 and subsequently took on the role of staff engineer.
He reportedly earned Musk’s respect with his vision of cost-saving measures for Twitter, including creating their own GPUs.
Lin’s dismissal came after he was accused of leaking information related to the firing of an engineer critical of Musk and a story about Musk’s tweets gaining traction after the Super Bowl. Lin denies these allegations, stating, “I’ve never talked to Zoë [Schiffer] in my life,” referring to the managing editor of Platformer.
Lin maintains his innocence despite rumors that he had admitted to leaking multiple articles. He contacted Schiffer for assistance, who could not provide information but referred him to two attorneys representing Twitter employees.
Why It Matters: Musk’s tenure at Twitter has been marked by a series of high-profile dismissals. Nearly 150 employees were fired in a span of just four hours, one week after Musk took over.
In another incident reported in February 2023, a Twitter engineer was fired on the spot by Musk due to declining interest in Musk’s tweets.
The dismissal of Lin adds to the growing list of controversial departures under Musk’s leadership. Twitter’s then Head of Trust and Safety, Ella Irwin, also left the company under unclear circumstances.
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