As Telford said:
“Workers are increasingly being disciplined for posting on social or political issues, which companies may view as a source of reputational risk, as companies tighten policies and increase monitoring of online activity,” employment experts say.
An HR specialist named Jim Link explained to Telford that the reaction from right-wing groups angry at people’s nasty Charlie Kirk posts had given way to aggressive policing behavior by bosses, and a free speech activist named Adam Goldstein of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression claimed that once upon a time, “Your employee saying something completely non-work-related had a very low risk of it becoming a problem for the business.”
“There is more tension now because of the fear of how the public will react,” Goldstein told the Post.
In the immediate aftermath of the shocking and gruesome firearm murder of Kirk — who was a divisive figure, but also a human being who was killed in front of his family, and, thanks to social media, the world — his political allies made no complaint about the fact that they wanted the skulls of those who celebrated or posted cruel words online.
On September 15, Vice President J.D. Vance said, “When you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them. And finally, call their employer.”
Charlie Kirk’s death will not be in vain.
I will spend my nights making famous everyone I find online who will celebrate his death, so if you are sick enough to celebrate his death be prepared to ruin all of your future business aspirations.
I am going to wish you…
– Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) 10 September 2025
In the weeks that followed, people started losing their jobs. According to a story at the time, The Washington Post, Office Depot, Nasdaq, the U.S. Secret Service and at least 27 other employers “sanctioned or fired employees in response to their statements about Kirk’s murder.”
Reuters noted in a story last month that more than 600 people lost their jobs because of posts about Kirk:
“Some were fired after celebrating or mocking Kirk’s death. At least 15 people were punished for allegedly invoking ‘karma’ or ‘divine justice,’ and at least nine others were disciplined for variations on the ‘good riddance.’ ‘It is,’ said one.
According to the Center for American Progress, between Trump’s inauguration and September, the month of Kirk’s assassination, the unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points to 4.4 percent, the highest since September 2021, when the wave of pandemic-era layoffs subsided. The Federal Reserve says unemployment is likely to remain high into 2026.
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