'Return our money, you were significantly overpaid': Elon Musk's X demands from fired employees

In an unexpected twist for laid-off employees, billionaire Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, has found itself in the midst of a financial mishap that spans continents. 

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the company has issued a peculiar request to its former employees in Australia: to return significant sums of money mistakenly overpaid due to a currency conversion error.

The overpayments, which occurred when finalizing entitlements after terminations, ranged from $1,500 to $70,000. The problem arose from an error in converting US dollars to Australian dollars.

The report said X's Asia Pacific human resources department has taken action by sending legal notices to at least six former staff members.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted one of these emails: "It has come to our attention that you received a significant overpayment in error in January 2023. We would be grateful if you could arrange the repayment to us at your earliest convenience."

Adding to the complexity, the overpayment was linked to what X described as "deferred cash compensation" related to employee shares given when they joined the company, complicating the calculations and the resultant errors.