X Corporation is facing legal trouble as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleges that the company’s firing of an employee who opposed Elon Musk’s return-to-office policy was illegal. The NLRB has filed a formal complaint against X Corp., marking the first such action against the company, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The complaint accuses X Corp. of retaliating against software engineer Yao Yue for attempting to organize workers in response to Musk’s policy. Last year, Musk issued an ultimatum to then-Twitter employees, stating that if they could physically make it to the office and chose not to, their resignation would be accepted. In response, Yue urged her colleagues not to resign but to let Musk fire them instead.
Yue was terminated just five days after tweeting about the ultimatum and posting a similar message on Slack. The NLRB’s complaint, filed by its San Francisco branch, alleges that X Corp. violated federal labor law by interfering with employees’ protected rights and engaging in unfair practices. CNBC reports that a hearing on the matter has been scheduled for January 30.
This is not the first time that a Musk-led company has faced accusations of retaliation against employees. In early 2023, Tesla workers in Buffalo, New York accused the company of firing them for attempting to unionize. Additionally, eight SpaceX employees filed a complaint with the NLRB in 2022, claiming they were terminated for criticizing Musk.
The outcome of the upcoming hearing will determine the legal ramifications for X Corp. and could have broader implications for employee rights within the company. The case highlights the growing tension between workers and management at Musk’s companies over issues such as workplace policies and labor organizing.