Tweet from Twitter ‘employee’ came from satirical account

Elon Musk became Twitter’s largest shareholder on April 4, buying a 9.2% stake in the company and earning a seat on its board.

The news prompted calls from some Republicans to bring former President Donald Trump back to Twitter. Musk recently tweeted about the tech giant’s approach to free speech and criticized the company’s decision to ban Trump in 2021 after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Musk’s new role also caused concern from some employees about the company’s future, according to Reuters.

One employee was supposedly so upset that he tweeted his resignation, in a post that was shared widely on social media, with users expressing support for his decision or celebrating his departure.

A Facebook post on April 4 shared a screenshot of the tweet, with the caption, "Can i get an AMEN???"

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

In the original tweet, a person who said his name is Jackson Mulholland wrote that he worked for Twitter on developing terms and conditions for users. Employees don’t limit free speech, but rather protect users from bullies and bigots, he said, adding, "I refuse to work with or for @elonmusk. I’m resigning." 

But the man is not a current or former Twitter employee at all, Adrian Zamora, a company spokesperson told PolitiFact. 

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The tweet seems intended as satire. Mulholland’s Twitter bio reads, "Mostly satire. Storytelling screenwriter. I make light of serious situations. Dark humor." One person on April 6 tweeted at him, writing, "Happy birthday to the biggest troll on Twitter."

The account also wrote another tweet about the "resignation" that got less attention, writing that Trump should never be allowed back on Twitter and that Musk’s following of "Reddit Mountain Dew filled worshiping bros are indeed toxic."

The account on April 5 shared Snopes’ fact check about the tweet and also quote-tweeted U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, who apparently took the resignation seriously and wrote, "Good riddance!"

The account has also tweeted that Mulholland was working backstage at the Oscars when Will Smith smacked Chris Rock. On other days, the account owner is a sportswriter in Philadelphia and restaurant owner, 

A Facebook post shared a screenshot of a tweet in which a Twitter employee resigned over the news that Elon Musk became the company’s largest shareholder.

The tweet was widely shared on social media but comes from a satirical account. The man named is not a current or former employee of the company, a Twitter spokesperson said.

We rate this claim False.