Elon Musk wants to promote ‘free speech’ after buying microblogging site Twitter for $44 billion. A few days after buying the company, several top Twitter executives are under attack from Elon Musk. His latest victim is Vijaya Gadde. Without naming, Musk targeted Vijaya Gadde, the company’s head of legal, policy and safety issues. Once dubbed the ‘Most Powerful Social Media Executive’, Musk criticized the New York Post for suspending its account.
Elon Musk has called the suspension of the New York Post’s Twitter account highly inappropriate for a controversial article on US President Joe Biden’s son. Musk was responding to a tweet by Indian-American Conservative Sagar Njeti, who cited a Politico report as saying that Vijaya Gadde cried during a meeting with her staff this week. The meeting came after Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion.
Who is Vijaya Gadde? Twitter’s Head of Legal, Policy and Safety Issues Vijaya Gadde is a lawyer by profession. He joined the company in 2011. In many reports, he has been described as the ‘moral authority’ of Twitter. In 2014, Fortune named her the ‘Most Powerful Woman’ on the Twitter Executive Team. According to Politico, Vijaya Gadde was instrumental in the deal between Musk and Twitter. Vijaya has previously been the legal director of Twitter.
Born in Hyderabad: Vijaya had come into limelight due to important decisions like banning political ads on Twitter ahead of the 2020 US presidential elections. He was also behind the decision to suspend the account of the then US President Donald Trump. Born in Hyderabad, Vijaya Gadde grew up in Texas. He is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law.
Had to apologize Vijaya came to India in 2018. At that time, Vijaya and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here he met some women journalists, activists. During this meeting, Jack had a placard in his hands which read ‘Smash Brahminical patriarchy’. There was a lot of ruckus on this picture. After which Twitter India said in a statement that Dorsey was caught by a Dalit activist with this placard. However, after this Vijaya Gadde also apologized.
Former Twitter CEO reprimands Musk: On Wednesday (April 27), Elon Musk posted a meme about Twitter’s left-wing bias, in which Gadde’s face was made, along with saying that Vijaya’s decision was wrong. After which former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo slammed Musk, saying why is he targeting an executive of the recently purchased company with harassment and threats?
Reactions from social media users: Social media users also gave their reactions targeting Elon Musk’s tweet and Vijaya Gadde’s decisions. Trolling Gadde, many people advised him to be removed from Twitter and suggested that he should go away on his own. Several users made derogatory and racist comments on her. Some made abusive and racist comments referring to Gadde’s Indian heritage.
Some blamed him for suspending countless Twitter accounts for telling the truth, using abusive language. However, some of the abusive tweets were later removed for violating Twitter’s rules. At the same time, many users also stood against Musk and supported Vijaya Gadde.