Did Elon Musk fire 2000 employees at X over Charlie Kirk? Viral claim explored

In mid-September 2025, social media was buzzing with wild claims that Elon Musk, owner of X, had just terminated 2,000 employees because a staffer had supposedly joked about assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The story spread quickly on Facebook, X and small news sites. Most people wondered if Musk really did fire 2,000 employees in such dramatic fashion.

However, there is no provable evidence to substantiate the claims.

No credible media outlets have reported that anyone has likely been fired by Elon Musk including the Reuters, BBC, and The New York Times.

A survey of Musk's public X account does not show any mention of mass firings related to Kirk, aside from general mentioning of updates regarding xAI and efficiency issues.

According to MSN, X only has a workforce of less than 1,500 employees. It is also impossible to fire 2,000 people at a time.

If they had, it would have been a major news story, due to how it affected employment.

Inside the Elon Musk mass firing hoax: Why the story went viral

The claim first gained traction on September 13-14 when sites such as BreakingNewsAZ, AzExpress and Facebook pages such as Star Story stated that there was a “midnight mass firing” ordered by Musk.

The reports described how screenshots of an inside joke on Slack mocking Kirk's death surfaced online and that Musk held an emergency call with executives the day before announcing it as “beyond forgiveness,” ordering immediate firing decisions.

Reports stated that entire teams in moderation, communications, and management were fired overnight and the incident was termed as “The Midnight Massacre”.

"Elon Musk just FIRED 2,000 employees at X after a staffer’s “joke” mocking Charlie Kirk’s death went viral. Inside reports say the move sent SHOCKWAVES through headquarters — panic, lawsuits, and chaos are unfolding as we speak. Is this the boldest stand Musk has ever taken, or the beginning of a massive legal WAR?" the viral Facebook post read.

The rapid spread of the claim was likely a product of several factors, including Elon Musk’s history of sudden lay-offs as a newsworthy CEO, and the politically volatile situation surrounding Kirk’s assassination.

🚨 Elon speaking to London & The World

“People on The Left openly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Death”

“Celebrating Murder - let that sink in for a minute” pic.twitter.com/5NnOIT7msg

— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) September 13, 2025

The #MuskMassFiring and #2KGone hashtags quickly began trending on X and there were vigorous discussions surrounding corporate power and free-speech values, and workplace expectations, popping up all over.

Currently, no credible evidence shows that Elon Musk fired over more than 2,000 employees at X over a joke about Charlie Kirk.

This claim is from some low-trust sites and social media pages without any confirmation backing this up from a more reliable outlet.

This incident highlights just how fast misinformation can circulate online, with the added variables of polarizing public figures and political violence.