SAN FRANCISCO, California (AFP) — Elon Musk took control of Twitter and fired its top executives, US media reported late Thursday, in a deal that puts one of the top platforms for global discourse in the hands of the world’s richest man.
The reports came hours before the court-appointed deadline for Musk to seal his on-again, off-again deal to purchase the social media network for $44 billion.
Musk sacked chief executive Parag Agrawal, as well as the company’s chief financial officer and its head of legal policy, trust and safety, the Washington Post and CNBC reported, citing unnamed sources.
Agrawal had gone to court to hold the Tesla chief to the terms of the takeover deal when he tried to escape it.
Musk tweeted on Thursday 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.”
The billionaire even shared a picture of himself socializing at a coffee bar at Twitter headquarters.
At Twitter headquarters’ coffee bar, @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/vy5Cw7zttf
— Walter Isaacson (@WalterIsaacson) October 27, 2022
And the New York Stock Exchange posted a pending order to suspend trading in Twitter before Friday’s session.
‘Chief Twit’
Musk tried to step back from the Twitter deal soon after his unsolicited offer was accepted in April, and said in July he was canceling the contract because he was misled by Twitter 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.
With a trial looming, the unpredictable billionaire capitulated and revived his takeover plan earlier this month.
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.
Musk said during a recent Tesla earnings call that he was “excited” about the Twitter deal even though he and investors are “overpaying.”
That sinking feeling
Some employees who would prefer not to work for Musk have already left, said a worker who asked to remain anonymous in order 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 of Musk.
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.
Elon Musk strolls into Twitter headquarters in San Francisco while carrying a sink as seen in a video posted by the billionaire on Twitter, alongside a caption that read: ‘Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!’ on October 26, 2022. (Screenshot/Twitter: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
But Musk said he realizes Twitter “cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said 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.
