Alan Rosa opposed budget reductions endangering X’s security practices settlement
A past Twitter executive, now X, alleges wrongful termination in a lawsuit, contending dismissal for objecting to budget cuts post Elon Musk’s acquisition. Alan Rosa, formerly Twitter’s global head of information security, filed the lawsuit in a New Jersey federal court, citing breach of contract, retaliation, and other claims. X Corp has not yet commented on the matter.
Rosa alleges that following Musk’s acquisition last year, he was instructed to reduce his department’s physical security budget by 50% and deactivate software facilitating information sharing with global law enforcement agencies.
Rosa raised objections, citing that the proposed cuts could jeopardize Twitter’s compliance with a $150 million settlement made with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2022. The settlement, resulting from allegations of Twitter’s misuse of users’ personal information, mandated the implementation of privacy and information security controls to safeguard confidential data.
Days after expressing concerns, he was terminated, the lawsuit alleges. Rosa is pursuing unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, along with legal fees.
X Corp has faced numerous lawsuits from former employees and executives since Musk’s acquisition, which included a substantial workforce reduction as a cost-cutting measure.
The lawsuits encompass various allegations, such as the company’s failure to disburse hundreds of millions in severance pay, discrimination against older employees, women, and workers with disabilities, and neglecting to provide advance notice of mass layoffs. X Corp has refuted any wrongdoing.