Elon Musk’s ‘X’ Rebranding Is a Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Waiting To Happen
Wow, Elon, did you come up with this one yourself?
By changing Twitter’s name to “X,” Elon Musk isn’t just rebranding one of the most successful social media platforms in history to something that sounds like a kindergartener’s idea of a cool superhero name. He seems to be working hard to get sued again.
Sued for what? I’m not talking about potentially killing someone by taking down Twitter HQ’s sign without a permit or any advance planning. I’m not talking about the fact that Meta, which runs Facebook and Instagram, already owns the copyright for a similar social media logo (which, to be honest, raises some questions about Mark Zuckerberg’s judgment when it comes to branding). I’m not even talking about all the ongoing lawsuits from former Twitter employees over unpaid severance and labor law violations!
No, I’m talking about a sexual harassment lawsuit. Or, well, another sexual harassment lawsuit.
Musk has already been sued for sexual harassment multiple times. Has he figured out how to stop it from happening again? Apparently not, because according to The New York Times, he’s changing the names of conference rooms at Twitter to incorporate the letter X. One room is now apparently called “s3Xy.” (That’s “sexy,” with a three instead of an E.)
“S3Xy” isn’t just a word that a 13-year-old boy might scribble on his school binder while he wonders why the girl he likes is avoiding him. It’s a word that creates a hostile work environment for employees at risk of being sexualized or objectified. Imagine being a female employee, having to tell the men on your team that the meeting is happening in “s3Xy,” and then bracing yourself for the inevitable disgusting jokes. Maybe the jokes will happen behind your back. Maybe the guys will say them to your face! What matters is that you document all of it! Since Twitter doesn’t seem to have a functional HR department anymore, you’ll want to send that documentation straight on over to your lawyer.
But hold on. Am I exaggerating? Am I just being an oversensitive woman who’s blowing things out of proportion? After all, it’s just a joke, right?
I’ll let Alison Green, creator of Ask a Manager, field this one.
(featured image: Gotham/FilmMagic)
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