Billionaire Elon Musk mocked Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward Markey after Markey expressed concerns about Twitter's verification process amid a rise in imposter accounts on the social media platform.
Twitter has had to contend with one crisis after another since Musk took ownership of the company, and much of that controversy has revolved around the $8 monthly cost of Musk's newly announced blue checkmark verification subscription, which effectively allows anyone to create a verified account and impersonate whoever they wish.
Markey tweeted Friday and shared a copy of a letter addressed to Musk that notes that a Washington Post reporter was able to demonstrate how easy it is to impersonate someone on the platform under Musk's new policies.
Markey called on Musk to stop "putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation" and demanded that Twitter be held accountable.
Musk proceeded to mock Markey, suggesting that Markey's "real account sounds like a parody."
In a follow-up tweet, he questioned why Markey is wearing a face mask in his Twitter profile picture, ignoring the fact that the world is still very much in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many have criticized Musk for his childish response.
Musk has repeatedly insisted that Twitter needs to go private if it wants to become a platform for free speech, though he has already come under fire for silencing his critics and spreading misinformation.
Several high-profile companies, including General Mills and Volkswagen, confirmed to CNN that they would be pausing advertisements on Twitter due to concerns about Musk's ownership of the platform. Others, like Toyota and Interpublic Group, the parent company of Coca-Cola, also recommended that their clients pause advertising on Twitter.
Criticisms about Musk's leadership style have been magnified in light of his decision to layoff roughly half the workforce, including employees who were on work visas. There was no advance warning for who would or would not be subject to the cuts, and at least one Twitter employee told reporters that they were booted from company systems in the middle of a meeting.
