The departure of senior Twitter lawyer Christian Dowell has raised concerns over the company’s legal resources under Elon Musk’s leadership. Dowell’s departure comes during a wave of senior leaders leaving the troubled company as well as an going FTC investigation of its security practices.
The New York Times reports that Christian Dowell, a senior lawyer for Twitter, submitted his resignation on Thursday, according to four people with knowledge of the situation. Dowell is the most recent executive departure since Elon Musk assumed control of the business almost six months ago. Dowell’s resignation comes at a crucial time for Twitter as it deals with numerous lawsuits as well as an ongoing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into its security practices.
FTC Chair Lina Khan ( GRAEME JENNINGS/Getty)
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., speaks via video link during the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg
Dowell, who joined Twitter in 2020, rose to the top of the company’s legal division. He was instrumental in recent negotiations between Twitter and the FTC as the federal government stepped up its investigation into the company’s security issues. The FTC’s investigation is also examining Twitter’s financial capacity to uphold its privacy commitments in the wake of widespread layoffs and resignations.
Dowell’s resignation follows a string of resignations from Twitter’s legal and compliance executives. On the that Musk finalized his deal to acquire Twitter in late October, he fired the company’s general counsel, Sean Edgett, and its then-chief legal officer, censorship queen Vijaya Gadde. James A. Baker, a Twitter attorney and former general counsel at the FBI, was also dismissed by Musk in December.
In addition to the FTC investigation, Twitter is being sued for unpaid bills for rent, vendor services, and software. The company has also been sued by former workers who claim that labor laws were broken during layoffs.
Read more at the New York Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan