Thorleifsson responded to the CEO with a thread of his disability, which he says put him in a wheelchair 20 years ago.
“During this time the rest of my body has also failed me. I need help getting in and out of bed and using the toilet,” he wrote. “For a long time I thought my arms would stay strong. A doctor told me they would. But eventually they lost strength. Which I’m telling you was hard to accept .”
The exchange comes as Musk has would have continued to lay off employeesfurther downsizing the company since he took control in October.
According his websiteThorleifsson, who is from Iceland and was voted the country’s person of the year in 2022started a design company called Ueno about nine years ago.
“We grew fast and made money. I think that’s what you’re referring to when you say I’m freelance rich? That I made my money freelance, instead of saying that I inherited an emerald mine,” Thorleifsson wrote in a Tweetertargeting rumors that Musk’s family owned an emerald mine.
Thorleifsson’s company was acquired by Twitter in 2021, a move he said wasn’t the best move financially. He also addressed Musk’s claims that he used his disability as an excuse not to type, which he said was confidential health information he reported to HR.
“I’ll tell you what I told them. I can’t do manual labor (which in this case means typing or using a mouse) for long periods of time without my hands starting to cramp,” said he wrote. “I can, however, write for an hour or two at a time.”
Thorleifsson ended the thread by asking the Twitter CEO if he was going to pay him what he was owed.
“I think you can afford it?” he writing.
Thorleifsson and Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.
Jason Abbruzzese contributed.