Finally, Elon Musk takes over Twitter, sacks executives

Image: People Matters

After months of intrigue and drama, Elon Musk assumed control of Twitter and sacked the platform’s top executives late Thursday. With that, the world’s richest man is now holding the world’s leading platform, Twitter.

After the eventual takeover, Musk tweeted that “the bird is freed,” referencing the company’s iconic avian logo.

According to the Washington Post and CNBC, the Billionaire wasted no time before swinging into drunken action, firing chief executive Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s chief financial officer, and its head of safety.

Recall that Agrawal has dragged the Tesla chief to court over the terms of a deal as he tried to elope from the acquisition deal.

The takeover came hours before the court-appointed deadline for Musk to seal his on-again, off-again deal to purchase the social media network.

Musk tweeted earlier in the day that he was buying Twitter “because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”

Twitter did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the departure of its top executives, but the platform’s co-founder Biz Stone thanked the trio — Agrawal, Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde — for their “collective contribution to Twitter.”

“Massive talents, all, and beautiful humans each.”

– ‘Chief Twit’ –

The deal’s closure marks the culmination of a long and drawn-out back-and-forth between the Billionaire and the social network.

Musk tried to step back from the Twitter deal soon after Twitter accepted his unsolicited offer in April. However, in July, he said he was canceling the contract. According to him, his reason was that Twitter misled him over the number of fake “bot” accounts — allegations rejected by the company.

Twitter, in turn, sought to prove Musk was contriving excuses to walk away simply because he changed his mind.

After Musk sought to terminate the sale, Twitter filed a lawsuit to hold Musk to the agreement.

The unpredictable Billionaire capitulated and revived his takeover plan with a trial looming.

Musk signaled the deal was on track this week by changing his Twitter profile to “Chief Twit” and posting a video of himself walking into the company’s California headquarters carrying a sink.

“Let that sink in!” he quipped.

He even shared a picture of himself socializing at a coffee bar at Twitter headquarters earlier in the day Thursday.

Musk said during a recent Tesla earnings call that he was “excited” about the Twitter deal even though he and investors are “overpaying.”

– Twitter free-for-all? –

Some employees who would prefer not to work for Musk have already left, said a worker who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.

“But a portion of people, including me, are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now,” the employee said.

The idea of Musk running Twitter has alarmed activists who fear a surge in harassment and misinformation, with Musk himself known for trolling other Twitter users.

But Musk said he realizes Twitter “cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anyone can say anything with no consequences.”

Musk has vowed to dial content moderation back to a bare minimum and is expected to clear the way for former US president Donald Trump to return to the platform.

The then-president was blocked due to concerns he would ignite more violence, like the deadly attack on the Capitol in Washington to overturn his election loss.

Far-right users quickly rejoiced on the network, posting comments such as “masks don’t work” and other taunts, believing that Musk will now relax moderation rules.

“Free speech will always prevail,” tweeted Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, prompting replies including, “says the party that bans books.”

the bird is freed

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022

Source: punch.ng/AFP

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#Elon Musk