Twitter loses trust and security chief Ella Irwin
The social networking platform Twitter has suffered the departure of another of its top executives. Ella Irwin, Twitter’s head of trust and security, has submitted her resignation, confirmed by herself to Reuters. This news marks the departure of one of Elon Musk’s most important executives on Twitter. Irwin took over in November, replacing Yoel Roth, who had also resigned at the time.
During his multi-month tenure, Irwin faced turbulent times at Twitter, including periods when the platform came under scrutiny for not doing enough to combat child exploitation. Irwin herself shared inside information from Twitter with Bari Weiss as part of the “Twitter Files” reports, and she reportedly ordered the banning of Twitter accounts that shared information about Musk’s private jet.
The shock of Ella Irwin’s departure
Ella Irwin’s resignation raises questions about who will take her place and whether there are already any candidates in mind. This uncertainty could be something the next CEO, Linda Yaccarino, needs to address. The lack of a public statement on the resignation of both Irwin and Musk leaves Twitter users waiting for more details about the situation.
A complicated landscape
During her time in office, Ella Irwin faced significant challenges in terms of content moderation and security on Twitter. The platform has come under fire for its apparent inability to adequately address hate speech. The Center to Fight Digital Hate recently reported that Twitter has failed to correctly address 99% of hate messages, including neo-Nazi, racist, homophobic and transphobic content, posted by Twitter Blue users.
The context of Ella Irwin’s departure
Although the reasons for her resignation have not been disclosed, recent events may have influenced Ella Irwin’s decision to leave the company. In particular, the cancellation of an agreement with the conservative publication The Daily Wire to release her film “What is a Woman?” on Twitter has sparked controversy. According to The Daily Wire co-founder, Twitter withdrew the offer after reviewing the film’s content, saying it would limit its reach and label it “hateful conduct” due to “incorrect use of pronouns.”
Ella Irwin’s resignation as Twitter’s head of trust and security is a reminder of the challenges the platform faces in terms of content moderation and fighting hate speech. Irwin’s departure raises the need for continued attention to these issues and strong leadership at the company. It will be interesting to see how Twitter addresses these challenges in the future and who will take on the important role of trust and security chief.
