Head of Twitter Safety Resigns

Facts

• Ella Irwin, who joined Twitter in June 2022 and has served as its head of trust and safety team since November after her predecessor Yoel Roth stepped down, revealed on Thursday that she has resigned.¹
• Before joining Twitter, she had worked at several companies, including serving as vice president of product and consumer trust at communications software company Twilio and as general manager of marketplace abuse product management at Amazon.²
• Irwin was the second trust and safety head since Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter. Roth resigned on Nov. 10 after surviving Musk's first round of layoffs, which affected around 50% of staff.³
• Irwin’s resignation came to light on the same day Twitter was engulfed in a controversy over the posting of the documentary "What is a Woman?" by media company The Daily Wire.⁴
• Twitter initially limited the reach of the documentary that criticizes transgenderism, citing the platform’s rules against hateful conduct. Although it’s unclear whether the controversy played a role in her resignation, Irwin was likely involved in the decision.⁵
• Twitter reversed the restriction, and Musk said it "was a mistake by many people at Twitter," adding, "Whether or not you agree with using someone’s preferred pronouns, not doing so is at most rude and certainly breaks no laws."⁴

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Variety, ³Business Insider, ⁴Wall Street Journal, and ⁵TechCrunch.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by CNN. Irwin's resignation comes at a difficult time for Twitter, as it has been increasingly platforming incendiary content. Having no moderation leader will severely weaken the company in the face of governmental calls for better content management. Moreover, having already withdrawn from the voluntary EU agreement over controlling disinformation, Musk faces an uphill battle ahead if he doesn’t fill Irwin’s post.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Street. While Musk is facing problems from all sides, he’s managing to appeal to both progressives and conservatives with his content decisions. And though Irwin is gone, Musk's appointment of veteran executive Lisa Yaccarino as CEO shows he hasn't forgotten the importance of keeping his company profitable.

Predictions