Debunking Elon Musk's 2,000-Worker Firings Over a Charlie Kirk Joke

The Rumor About Elon Musk Firing 2,000 Employees Over a Joke

A recent rumor has circulated online claiming that Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), fired 2,000 employees at the company after a joke mocking the late conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. This claim, however, has been thoroughly debunked.

The rumor gained traction following the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025. It was said that an internal post made by a staff member mocked Kirk’s death, leading to mass layoffs. Some social media posts even cited an article from a blog filled with ads, which appeared to be a low-quality content farm. The article claimed that Musk had fired 2,000 employees in response to the joke, describing it as “cruel” and “deeply disrespectful.”

Despite the sensational nature of the story, there is no credible evidence to support the claim. Musk has publicly expressed sympathy for Kirk and his family, and he has often taken a strong stance against those who he believes are celebrating or making light of the tragedy. However, no official records or verified reports indicate that such a large-scale layoff occurred.

Investigating the Claim

To verify the rumor, the text of the article was analyzed using an AI detector, which suggested that parts of it were likely generated by artificial intelligence. Additionally, the article referenced a supposed post from Musk that contained the statement: “Free speech does NOT mean freedom from consequences. Mocking a man's death – ANY man's death – is not comedy, it's cruelty. X will always stand for truth, not hate.” However, no such post could be found on Musk’s public accounts or any verified sources.

Searches on major platforms like Google, Google News, DuckDuckGo, and Bing revealed no credible information about mass layoffs at X. In fact, it seems highly unlikely that Musk would fire such a large number of employees over a single internal joke.

Understanding X’s Workforce

Musk took over X in October 2022 and significantly reduced the workforce, firing 80% of the staff by April 2023, leaving only around 1,500 employees. By the end of 2024, the number of employees reportedly increased to between 2,500 and 3,000. These figures suggest that the company’s size has fluctuated, but there is no indication of a sudden drop to 2,000 employees due to a joke about Kirk’s death.

Furthermore, recent reports have mentioned smaller-scale layoffs at X, such as the dismissal of hundreds of workers involved in training the AI model Grok. However, these were not related to any joke about Kirk’s death.

Conclusion

The claim that Elon Musk fired 2,000 employees at X over a joke mocking Charlie Kirk is false. While the rumor spread quickly on social media, no reliable evidence supports the allegations. Musk has consistently spoken out against disrespecting individuals, especially in the wake of tragic events, but there is no proof that he took such extreme action against his employees.

As with many viral claims, this story highlights the importance of verifying information before accepting it as true. Fact-checking organizations and independent researchers continue to play a crucial role in separating real news from misinformation.