Elon Musk he got so paranoid when he was CEO of X, formerly of Twitterwhich banned meetings between more than two employees, the book’s author told Business Insider “Breaking Twitter”.

“There are many examples of Elon getting out of control.” Ben Mezrich said in an interview. “At one point he became so paranoid that he forbade any meeting of more than two Twitter employees because he feared a mutiny».

Mezrich said Tesla’s CEO feared workers would sabotage the site and that there was a conspiracy to “take it down.”

“Breaking Twitter” focuses on Elon Musk’s chaotic takeover of the platform last year. Mezrich has said he gained “access to Twitter employees and Musk confidantes.”

In an article published in January, “The Verge” reported that large meetings had been banned on Elon Musk’s “hardline” Twitter. Amir Shevat, who ran Twitter’s developer platform, told the agency that the message was “if you do this, you risk getting fired.”

Musk’s fears, while extreme, may not have been entirely unfounded. Mezrich stated that a group of workers planned to quit en masse. “There were behind-the-scenes discussions going on among Twitter employees about finding a way for them all to leave together“, he said.

Mezrich said that Musk’s acquisition of X, combined with the scrutiny and unpopularity that followed, took a serious toll on the billionaire’s mental health. “There are many examples of Elon getting out of hand,” he said. “I think when he feels squeezed, he lashes out at the world.”