Yoel Roth Breaks the Silence on Twitter’s Safety Slip‑Ups
After stepping down from his role as Trust & Safety lead, Yoel “Boss of the Shields” Roth finally spoke up about what feels like a safety nightmare at the once-peaceful platform now owned by Elon Musk. The former head of Twitter’s content moderation tells us the company is “no longer safer” under Musk’s regime – and that the staff we once trusted to keep things in check have been cut in half.
From “All‑Good” to “Hold‑On‑It”
- Roth had once bragged online that the platform’s safety had gotten better under Musk.
- After a brief interview at a Knight Foundation event, he replied: “No.”
This reversal follows a major shake‑up: Musk’s takeover triggered a massive 50% staff reduction, uprooting many people who had been guarding the platform’s mod house.
Why Roth Waves the Flag
Roth explains two big problems:
- Unilateral rule‑making – rather than policies, Musk’s orders now dictate what content is allowed.
- The “dictatorial” style, which leaves little room for anyone’s expertise to shine.
He said, “When Twitter started being ruled by dictatorial edict rather than policy, there was no longer a role for me.” A bold declaration of a mismatch between vision and execution.
The Twitter Blue White‑Checkblitz
Even when trust & safety warned against a premium subscription that sold verified checkmarks, Twitter launched it. The rollout was quickly hijacked by spammers impersonating:
- Eli Lilly
- Nestlé
- Lockheed Martin
With “him” cursing the makers of the product on Twitter, Roth has to admit the company did a horrendous mix‑up.
Labelling & Mis‑information in 2020
Roth also pointed out Twitter’s folly in restricting a New York Post article that made wild claims about Joe Biden’s son before the 2020 election. The post was deemed “Krazily” and puffed at the system.
Trump Suspension Support
Roth defended Twitter’s move to ban former President Trump permanently after the Jan 6 Capitol riot:
“We saw the clearest possible example of what it looked like for things to move from online to off. We saw people dead in the Capitol.”
Musk’s “Re‑issue” Moment
In a surprising Twitter poll, Musk offered to restore Trump’s account. Roth frowned, saying that a social media champion for censorship is a great way to force the system to be more careful. He’s still not convinced the new “rule‑book” works.
Bottom Line: A Platform in the Making (or Undergoing UFO)
Yoel Roth’s comments underline a major concern: When the owner of a platform like Twitter adopts a dictatorial approach with no reliance on well‑defined policies, safety seems to be an afterthought. The big question remains: Will Musk build a new moderation team from scratch, or will he stick to an autocratic style this time? Only time will tell whether the social media giant will return to “safe” territory – or stay on its weird track.
