Comment on this story
comment
SAN FRANCISCO – Elon Musk became the owner of Twitter late Thursday as his $44 billion deal to take over the company closed, ushering in a new era for one of the social media platforms. most influential in the world.
In one of his first moves, he fired several top Twitter executives, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. One of them confirmed that the deal had been closed.
Chief executive officer Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust and security, were fired, the people said. Sean Edgett, the company’s general counsel, was also pushed out, one of the people said. Senior executives were rushed out of the building, the people said.
The documents detail plans to shed Twitter’s workforce
Musk’s moves late Thursday signal his intentions to put his stamp firmly on one of the world’s most influential social media companies. Musk has publicly criticized Twitter’s outgoing management over product decisions and content moderation, as well as saying he would restore former President Donald Trump’s account.
Still, “Twitter obviously can’t become a free-for-all hellscape where you can say anything without consequence!” Musk tweeted on Thursday.
The closing of the deal ended a months-long rollercoaster saga in which the billionaire, the world’s richest person, conducted a hostile takeover to buy the company at an inflated price, only to renege on the deal and then enter into a bitter legal battle. with the social network.
Elon Musk calls himself “Chief Twit”
But in recent days, Musk seemed resigned, even excited, about his impending ownership. He turned up unexpectedly at the company’s offices on Wednesday, carrying a sink to suggest the message he would become an owner should “sink in”, according to a photo he posted to his more than 100 million Twitter followers. .
He plans to hold a company-wide town hall on Friday.
Neither Twitter nor executives immediately responded to a request for comment.
The moves place the announced entrepreneur at the head of one of the most powerful communication platforms in the world just days before the big elections in the United States and Brazil.
Musk, a transportation mogul who is also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has offered some hints about what he would do when he takes over Twitter, despite having no experience running a social media service.
Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter at the original price weeks before the test
He has suggested he wants to loosen standards for controlling harmful content, such as disinformation and hate speech. He has also denounced the so-called censorship of social media companies.
He has repeatedly criticized the company and supported online attacks against individual executives. He has told potential investors and partners that he wants to execute a financial turnaround of the company by laying off nearly 75 percent of the workforce and pursuing new business opportunities, including subscribing people to exclusive content from popular influencers in the service
Musk represents a different kind of social media company owner than his predecessor, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, or his now rival, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Elon Musk says he would reverse Donald Trump’s ban
Over the course of his candidacy on Twitter, he has at times described himself as a moderate, but has also announced plans to vote for a Republican president in 2024. He has also weighed in on geopolitical conflicts between China and Taiwan and the war in Ukraine.
Inside Twitter, Musk’s arrival has been met with resentment and dismay, though Musk’s visit on Wednesday left a glimmer of hope. Those hopes were quickly dashed by the firing of senior executives, who had asked for the confidence of existing staff.
The mood after Wednesday’s visit was “overall slightly more positive,” said one employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the company, adding “everyone is ready to close this chapter and move on to the next one. .”