Former Twitter employees are suing Elon Musk and his new holding company for Twitter, X. Corp, over allegations including fraud and breach of contract related to claims of unpaid severance. But some of the most interesting revelations from the lawsuit are the exposure of Musk’s attitude towards paying rent for the company’s buildings. Musk reportedly said in one conversation that he would pay rent “over his dead body.” His lawyer later claimed that charging rent in “derelict zombie apocalypse” San Francisco is unreasonable.
Business Insider reports that six former Twitter employees are suing Elon Musk over claims of unpaid severance pay, fraud, and breach of contract in a lawsuit that also sheds light on corporate lease commitments.
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – AUGUST 29: Homeless tents are seen near the City Hall of San Francisco in California, United States on August 29, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The plaintiffs assert in their lawsuit that Musk said he would pay the rent for Twitter’s offices “over his dead body.” This remark is said to have been made in a conversation relayed by Joseph Killian, a plaintiff who oversaw office design at Twitter for 12 years prior. According to reports, the conversation took place with Pablo Mendoza, a venture capitalist who worked closely with Musk on the creation of his Twitter 2.0 vision.
“Killian attempted to convince Musk, via Mendoza, of the danger of Musk’s new position that no rent would be paid whatsoever, pointing out that any attempt to renegotiate the terms of Twitter’s many leases would be doomed to failure,” the lawsuit documents reveal.
In response, Mendoza is said to have relayed Musk’s hardline stance, stating, “Elon told me he would only pay rent over his dead body.”
Over the past few months, landlords in a number of cities have taken legal action against Twitter. London, New York, and San Francisco property owners have all filed complaints against the social media company for nonpayment of rent.
The demands of the landlords have reportedly been rejected as unreasonable by Alex Spiro, Musk’s lawyer, who cited the deteriorating conditions in San Francisco, where Twitter’s headquarters are situated. Although he has described downtown San Francisco as “a derelict zombie apocalypse,” Elon Musk insists that workers shouldn’t be allowed to work from home.
The lawsuit asserts that Twitter did not pay its former employees severance. Musk and other defendants are facing with 14 claims in total, including fraud, breaking labor law, and contract breach.
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan