Protestors gathered outside Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco on Saturday to demonstrate against CEO Elon Musk’s labour practices in the wake of job losses in the company.
Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, appears to be approaching the level of public loathing heretofore reserved for folks like Pharma Bro and Kim Jong-un. He let go thousands of Twitter’s 7,500 workers after purchasing the company in late 2022 – according to widespread reports, as much as half of Twitter’s workforce.
The rally took place outside Twitter headquarters at 1355 Market Street at 11 a.m., said Steve Zeltzer, who led the rally with fellow labor activist Andrew Kong Knight.
Performers at the event included the Angry Tired Teachers Band, a pro-labor group whose playlists include selections like “(I Can’t Get No) Contract Satisfaction.” Kong Knight, a muralist and former Hayward high school teacher, will present a painting depicting Musk on a one-way trip to Mars.
Steve Zeltzer, with the San Francisco group Laborfest, spoke about their protest, sharing that it is a protest in the conventional sense but also an art show.
“We wanted to do an unveiling of a portrait, a painting on Elon Musk on his rocket ship. We want to put him autopilot to Mars,” he said.
While protestors gathered with speeches and posters denouncing Musk and his practices at his companies, they also played music, showed art, and did more than usual.
Zeltzer said the event was in support of both the laid-off workers and those who remain at Twitter.
“We think he should comply with the labor laws. He has a history of flagrantly flouting labor laws. He fired 700 Tesla workers who were trying to organize,” Zeltzer said.
“There’s a cult of personality around Elon and we want to burst the bubble about who he really is. His employees need protection. They need labor rights,” Zeltzer said.
