Hundreds of Twitter employees demanded in a letter Friday that the company’s leaders permanently suspend President Trump’s Twitter account because of his actions surrounding the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, calling the company’s response insufficient.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies via video before the Senate Commerce Committee on Oct. 28. Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP
In an internal letter addressed to chief executive Jack Dorsey and his top executives viewed by The Washington Post, roughly 350 Twitter employees asked for a clear account of the company’s decision-making process regarding the president’s tweets the day that a pro-Trump mob breached the U.S. Capitol. Employees also requested an investigation into the past several years of corporate actions that led to Twitter’s role in the insurrection.
“Despite our efforts to serve the public conversation, as Trump’s megaphone, we helped fuel the deadly events of January 6th,” the employees wrote. “We request an investigation into how our public policy decisions led to the amplification of serious anti-democratic threats. We must learn from our mistakes in order to avoid causing future harm.”
“We play an unprecedented role in civil society and the world’s eyes are upon us. Our decisions this week will cement our place in history, for better or worse,” the added.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Twitter on Wednesday initially labeled Trump’s tweets about the election as disputed. But a subsequent video from the president – calling for calm while continuing to peddle disinformation – prompted the company to step up its enforcement actions. Twitter ultimately locked the president out of his account for the first time, requiring him to delete his offending tweets – then wait 12 hours – in order to regain access. That came Thursday morning, and Trump issued his first public comments on the site later that night. Twitter said it would suspend Trump permanently if he continues to break its rules, putting users at risk.
The letter is addressed to “Staff,” company lingo for C-suite executives who report directly to Dorsey, including Vijaya Gadde, who leads the company’s legal, policy, and trust and safety divisions. During a virtual meeting on Friday afternoon, Dorsey and Gadde shared their thoughts on Twitter’s response, according to an employee, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
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