Twitter to pay former head of security $7 million in compensation

According to The Wall Street Journal, Twitter agreed to pay his former head of security, Peter Zatko, $7 million in compensation for his dismissal from the company. The agreement was reached in June, and in July Mr. Zatko sent a letter to the US Congress and federal agencies stating that during his work at Twitter, he discovered serious security problems that pose a threat to “the privacy of its users, to the company’s shareholders, to national security, and even to democracy.”

Twitter’s ex-head of security claims he was fired by management ostensibly for “poor performance” but in reality after he tried to report problems to the board of directors. After this letter, Elon Musk, who was going to buy Twitter, but later changed his mind, urged Peter Zatko to testify under oath in court as a witness in the Elon Musk v. Twitter trial. According to ReutersElon Musk’s team of lawyers expects to receive documents and data from Mr. Zatko indicating serious violations on Twitter.

The WSJ notes that part of Mr. Zatko’s agreement with Twitter in June was not to disclose information about the situation at the company during his time there. However, lawyers note that such agreements usually contain exceptions in non-disclosure clauses – in particular, the informant can report on the situation in the company when contacts with federal authorities and during hearings in Congress. Mr. Zatko is due to testify before the US Senate Judiciary Committee next Tuesday.

Evgeniy Khvostik