Twitter's Head of Trust and Safety Resigns Only a Year After Joining the Company

Ella Irwin, the head of Twitter's trust and safety department, announced her departure from the social media giant on Thursday. Her resignation, which comes a year after being hired, left owner Elon Musk without one of his most loyal executives.

Departing Twitter

Ella Irwin joined Twitter in June 2022 and became the head of the trust and safety team in November after its previous head Yoel Roth resigned, Reuters reported.

Irwin oversaw content moderation, reportedly helping manage Twitter's policies on hate speech, harassment, and violent content. These rules were relaxed under Elon Musk.

She was also involved in the accounts of Twitter users, who were blocked and suspended by the social media company. Irwin's internal Slack account appeared to have already been deactivated.

Irwin's resignation marks the second time someone in that position has left the company since Musk acquired Twitter in October. Irwin had previously defended the company under its new owner during a tumultuous period at the company, which took place when Musk laid off thousands of employees.

The laying off of workers reportedly led to advertisers leaving. Since the mass layoffs affected the public relations department, Irwin often served as the company's spokesperson.

She commented about Twitter's policies to several reporters and frequently responded to users whose accounts were blocked. Irwin confirmed her resignation to Reuters on Thursday, while Twitter or Musk has yet to comment on this.

The reason for her departure and who might fill the vacant position as Twitter's head of trust and safety were still unclear. But the decision in picking Irwin's replacement might be passed to Twitter's new Chief Executive Officer, Linda Yaccarino.

Ella Irwin as Head of Trust and Safety of Twitter

Some of Ella Irwin's former colleagues praised her attention to detail and told Daily Beast that she is someone who is acutely hierarchical.

A user previously criticized Irwin for allowing Nazi-related content on the platform, where she responded, "I would never defend Nazis and I don't know anyone at Twitter that would. I had family members who were burned to death by Nazis. I do however believe in free speech."

She added that free speech is important even on the issues she disagrees with and despises. The Verge reported that Irwin also oversaw periods when the platform was scrutinized for not doing enough to curb child exploitation.

According to Wall Street Journal, Irwin's predecessor Yoel Roth has spoken publicly about clashing with Musk during his stay in the company. In a press conference in late November, he said that he left after concluding his role was unnecessary if the new Twitter leadership would not listen to his team's guidance.

In one instance, Roth noted that Musk ignored his team's early precautions about possible issues related to the rollout of Twitter Blue. The subscription service previously faced several problems, including celebrity impersonations that led to confusion on the social media platform.