After more than a year, X, formerly known as Twitter, has finally paid off the staff it laid off at its African headquarters, according to the agency representing them. The employees, who were based in Accra, Ghana, had only been in their roles for a few months when they were let go in November 2022. They had threatened legal action against X for not fulfilling promises of redundancy payments.
Elon Musk, who took over X in 2022, had initiated a global staff reduction, resulting in the termination of more than 6,000 employees. The African team, numbering fewer than 20, had recently moved into a new office in Accra after months of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Agency Seven Seven, representing the sacked staff, confirmed that negotiations with X led to a settlement for redundancy and repatriation expenses for foreign employees. The exact amount of the payout was not disclosed. The employees expressed relief at finally receiving their dues and being able to move forward.
Last year, former employees had spoken out about the impact of their treatment by X on their mental health and finances. Despite promises of severance pay, some staff members based in Africa claimed they did not receive it. X began negotiations with the affected employees only after the story gained media attention.
Overall, X has faced legal challenges related to severance payments, including a lawsuit filed by ex-employees in California seeking $500m in promised packages. Elon Musk had previously stated that laid-off employees were given three months’ severance pay, but discrepancies arose in the case of the Africa office staff.
