Class Action Lawsuit for Age Discrimination Against X

By Daniel Wiessner

A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that approximately 150 older workers, laid off by social media platform X after Elon Musk’s acquisition, can pursue a class action lawsuit for age discrimination, potentially costing the company millions in damages.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston stated on Tuesday that the case involves a common question regarding the impact of a significant 2022 layoff on employees aged 50 and older.

The plaintiff, John Zeman, formerly of X’s communications department (formerly Twitter), filed the lawsuit in 2023. He alleged that X laid off 60% of employees over 50 and nearly 75% of those over 60, while only 54% of employees under 50 were affected.

“Plaintiff has shown beyond mere speculation that Twitter may have discriminated against older employees in the November 4, 2022 (mass layoff), which constitutes a single decision that affected all members of the proposed class,” Illston noted in her ruling.

This ruling permits Zeman’s lawyers to notify potential class members about the lawsuit, allowing them to join the case if they choose.

X has not commented on the ruling but maintains that it did not engage in discrimination, stating that the communications department, which included Zeman, was eliminated regardless of age.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, Zeman’s lawyer and representative for about 2,000 other former Twitter employees with legal claims against the company, expressed satisfaction with the ruling.

This lawsuit is one of several faced by X following Musk’s decision to lay off over half of Twitter’s workforce in 2022. Other allegations include the lack of required advance notice for layoffs, targeting women, and forcing out workers with disabilities by restricting remote work.

In August, two judges dismissed claims of sex and disability bias while allowing amended complaints to be filed. Additionally, two other lawsuits allege the company owes over $500 million in severance pay, with one dismissed in July.