Another day, another Twitter tirade from billionaire tycoon Elon Musk.
Earlier today, Musk replied to @iamharaldur, a former Twitter employee who no longer had access to his work log-in. After some back and forth, where Musk was generally a nightmare for any functioning HR department, Musk accused the former employee of not fulfilling his work duties, faking his disability, and making his complaint public for clout. The user, who’s real name is Haraldur Thorliefsson, responded by helpfully explaining his disability while throwing in some digs at his former boss, and the incident went viral.
We’ll spare you the whole Twitter conversation — though you can read the whole thing here if your heart desires— but the incident didn’t paint Musk in a good light. Later, the Tesla tycoon even apologized to Thorliefsson over the feud.
Who is Haraldur Thorliefsson?
Haraldur “Halli” (pronounced “sort of like Halle Berry,” via his website) Thorliefsson is the founder of Ueno, a design agency he sold to Twitter in 2021. Ueno worked for high-profile clients like Apple, ESPN, Facebook, Google, and The New York Times and won numerous design awards since it was founded in 2014. He has been recognized for his achievements in the design field several times throughout his own career, including being named the Person of the Year in his native Iceland.
Thorliefsson graduated from the University of Iceland with a B. S. in finance and a B.A. in philosophy. In addition to pursuing design after graduating, he has dedicated much of his life to charity. Five years after creating Ueno, Thorliefsson started the non-profit, Bueno, with the mission to donate $1 million to good causes by the year 2029. Last year, the Iceland’s president honored Thorliefsson with the Order of the Falcon, the medal of merit for contributions to Icelandic social issues and humanity.
As detailed in a Twitter thread, Thorliefsson has muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition that leads to a loss of muscle usage over time. By the age of 25, he was forced to use a wheelchair and now struggles to use his arms for long periods of time. In 2021, he created a project called Ramp Up Reykjavik in order to install more wheelchair ramps around the city to benefit wheelchair users. The project has since expanded to the entirety of the nation.
In addition to his philanthropy and design career, Thorliefsson is a writer and musician with an album coming out this year. His other projects include opening an upcoming art studio with his wife and a restaurant named after his late mother. He lives in Iceland with his wife and two children.
While we doubt Thorliefsson’s viral interaction with Musk has brought him much joy, we’re grateful for the opportunity to learn about someone using his fortune to help others.