Elon Musk takeover: How US media members were waylaid by fake Twitter employees
Pranksters took some members of US media for a ride over Twitter job losses
Two men who feigned being “data engineers” recently fired by Twitter have caused a ruckus in the US media — and on the microblogging site.
The men were the subject of media reports, including a post by CNBC reporter Deirdre Bosa, who noted that one of the poseurs — who claimed to be data engineer with the name of “Rahul Ligma” — was "visibly distressed" when discussing his unexpected job loss as cameras rolled.
The events appeared riveting, the scene right. The performers' countenance seemed compelling — they were carrying boxes of what seemed to be personal effects out of the headquarters.
The reporters grabbed them while walking out of Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters on what is supposedly their last day of employment with the platform — a day after billionaire Elon Musk took over and fired the company's top brass.
Bosa also mentioned that the other “ex-Twitter employee” — who gave his name as Daniel Johnson — was concerned about how he would pay off his Tesla vehicle, claiming that he owned one.
Media coverage of the purported firings eventually resulted in articles, including some from illustrious outfits like CNBC and Bloomberg.
There’s just one problem: neither Ligma nor Johnson was employed by Twitter.
It turns out that "Rahul Ligma" was merely a random dude with a box who’s in it for a crass joke with reporters covering the event.
The Verge reported that Ligma was an obvious reference to a internet fraud designed to evoke a crude response from individuals who are in on the hoax, adding that the names of the men themselves were a key clue.
On Saturday, Elon Musk himself taunted CNBC for reporting what appeared to be a sombre loss-of-job reality which then turned out to be a practical joke pulled off by the now-legendary trolls.