Elon Musk Takes Action Against Corporations That Punish Employees’ Social Media Posts

Elon Musk speaks during his visit at the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on June 16, 2023. (Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)

Elon Musk, the business magnate and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, has come out swinging against companies that “unfairly” punish their employees for their social media views.

Those with opinions commonly shared by those with more conservative views have been targeted by being canceled or even fired.

“If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill,” Mr. Musk wrote in an Aug. 5 post. “No limit. Please let us know… and we won’t just sue, it will be extremely loud and we will go after the boards of directors of the companies too.”

Cancelations Involving Social Media Activity Still Prevalent

NASCAR just suspended driver Noah Gragson for “liking” a meme tied to George Floyd, whose 2020 death at the hands of police led to nationwide protests and riots.

Public Relations executive Justine Sacco was fired and canceled in 2013 after posting what was seen as an inappropriate post involving a comment about AIDS before she boarded a flight to South Africa.

In February 2021, “cancel culture” headlines swirled when Disney’s “Mandalorian” star Gina Carano was let go from her role in the series over a social media post she shared. The post in question compared the experiences of conservatives in the United States to that of Jewish people during Nazi-era Germany.

Her dismissal by LucasFilm occurred after the actress’s post shared from another social media account sparked controversy from personalities and media outlets mainly on the left. For its part, the “Star Wars” juggernaut called Ms. Carano’s “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities” as “abhorrent and unacceptable.”

Ms. Carano, who was dropped by United Talent Agency after the controversy, would then go on to announce a new film project and partnership with The Daily Wire founded by conservative political commentator and media host Ben Shapiro quickly responded to Mr. Musk’s post.

“I think I qualify,” she wrote, with a smiley emoji face.

Celebrities Canceled Without Social Media Posts Attached to Them

But Ms. Carano isn’t the only celebrity that’s been canceled by the more progressive crowd, many of whom have been shamed without posting to a social media platform.

In October of 2020 when actor Chris Pratt didn’t take part in a virtual fundraiser for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden along with six of his “Avengers” co-stars, some on social media, including screenwriter Amy Berg, called for his cancellation.

Earlier that year, actor Vince Vaughn got some attention outside of the normal adoration received as a movie star when he was filmed having a friendly conversation with former President Donald Trump and his wife Melania at the college football playoffs in New Orleans. The interaction caused some on Twitter who saw it to strike out with comments about how they’d no longer see his movies.

British author and “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling has been under constant scrutiny for her outspokenness on and off social media about transgender issues.

In June, the philanthropist didn’t mince words when she said publicly that people are entitled to reject the use of trans jargon that’s becoming more prominent in today’s society. She made the comment on Twitter after Mr. Musk said the terms “cis” and “cisgender” would be considered slurs by the social media company.

“‘Cis’ is ideological language, signifying belief in the unfalsifiable concept of gender identity,” Ms. Rowling posted on Wednesday. “You have a perfect right to believe in unprovable essences… but the rest of us have a right to disagree, and to refuse to adopt your jargon.”

The terms “Cis” and “cisgender” are defined as “a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex the person had or was identified as having” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Trans people use the terms to refer to non-transgender people.

Ms. Rowling has previously and routinely offered her opinions about the transgender movement, even experiencing death threats issued against her and her family.

In March of this year, she spoke out on The Free Press’ podcast The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling against the medical establishment and the woke left pushing theories surrounding gender on young children.

“We are watching one of the worst medical scandals in a century,” said Ms. Rowling. “Those that should have known better—the medics and those who have unquestionably cheered this on—are creating a climate in which those trying to raise red flags have been intimidated and silenced.”

Left-leaning Celebs Likely to Evade Criticism or Being Canceled

Meanwhile, according to a Daily Wire piece written by Christian Toto, host of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast, many left-leaning celebrities who make controversial statements or posts on social media seem more likely to go unnoticed.

Mr. Toto cited Ms. Carano’s former “Mandalorian” co-star Pedro Pascal who received no apparent consequences for his comparison of Donald Trump supporters to Nazis in a November 2020 social media post that he ended up deleting.

“Pascal is the star of the show, of course, but no one will punish a liberal celebrity for attacking President Trump or his supporters, even if it’s done in the most cruel way possible,” Mr. Toto told The Epoch Times. “Even ‘Saturday Night Live’ once compared Trump voters to Nazis and KKK members and no one batted an eye.”

In his Daily Wire piece, Mr. Toto also noted that “many people post cruel messages brimming with threats and never face punishment by their employers.”

“They’re often shared by liberals, for starters,” he added, noting the former owners of Twitter gave preferential treatment to progressive voices while punishing right-leaning views.

“The Twitter Files confirmed that reality,” he continued.

Most social media platforms continue to lean left, noted Mr. Toto, therefore liberal celebrities go unaffected by their commentary attacks on those who believe differently.

Case in point, Bette Midler remains employed by Disney+ despite her history of comments attacking Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Musk’s X Already on the Legal Action Road

In terms of Twitter, now known as X, a suit was filed last week against a non-profit organization accusing it of unlawfully accessing private data and hand-picking posts to show a rise in hate speech on the social media platform under Mr. Musk’s helm.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the social media company formerly known as Twitter claims the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) orchestrated a “scare campaign to drive away advertisers from the X platform” by publishing so-called hate speech reports. The CCDH is a British non-profit that researches so-called online hate and disinformation.

The Epoch Times reached out to the CCDH for comment.

For his part, Mr. Musk has promised to fight for the right to free speech, both for his platform and for those who use it.

It’s a goal that Mr. Toto said is quite lofty.

“I think he’s bitten off way too much to chew, but if he publicly fights against unfair firings based on social media messages it could prevent some companies from letting employees go for similar, unfair reasons,” said Mr. Toto. “One high profile win could impact how we see the debate in the public square, but the problem will likely continue.”

“It’s hard to change the status quo. Propaganda journalists are incapable of being shamed for their extreme bias. They’re routinely torched on Twitter and they either don’t respond or ignore the criticisms. And they keep reporting the news in the same, warped fashion,” added Mr. Toto. “The same is likely true for social media giants. How many stories have been written in new media about YouTube’s aggressive censorship?”