Alan Rosa, the former head of security at Twitter, has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, X (formerly Google X), and company adviser Steve Davis, claiming wrongful termination. According to Rosa’s lawyers, he was fired for protesting cost-cutting measures led by Musk, which, as per the complaint, hindered Twitter’s compliance with regulatory requirements from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the European Commission.

The lawsuit alleges that Musk appointed Steve Davis as an adviser with significant authority, leading to the immediate reduction of Twitter’s products and services that supported and complied with the Twitter FTC Consent Decree. Twitter had recently settled with the FTC over the improper use of users’ personal information, and Rosa contends that Davis and Musk were dismissive of the decree.

Rosa claims that the cuts, including applications for identifying software vulnerabilities and Salesforce programs essential for responding to law enforcement requests, jeopardized compliance with the Consent Decree and the EU Digital Services Act. He reportedly raised his concerns with the company’s legal department.

In November, around the time Davis was hired, a Twitter lawyer posted a message on Slack encouraging anyone uncomfortable with the company’s requests to seek whistleblower protection.

Rosa alleges that Davis instructed him to cut the physical security budget by 50 percent within hours, risking the violation of court orders to store devices under litigation holds. Five days after objecting to this change, Rosa claims Twitter revoked his access and terminated his employment without notice or reason, withholding his severance package pending an investigation into his conduct.

This legal action follows Musk’s previous mass layoffs at Twitter, which prompted lawsuits and marked the beginning of significant changes at the company. Rosa’s lawsuit draws parallels with another case involving former employees who were forced into arbitration, with Musk’s company refusing to cover the associated costs, resulting in yet another lawsuit. Rosa’s claims align with the precedent set by this earlier legal dispute.