Elon Musk Takes Control of Twitter, says ‘The Bird is Freed’

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has now completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, according to a filing with the US government.

“The bird is free”, Musk said in a tweet after taking control of the social media platform.

Last Thursday, Musk completed the $44 billion takeover on the eve of a court-appointed deadline to seal his on-again, off-again deal. The completion of the deal brings to an end months of legal battle but it has provoked concerns over the platform’s future direction.

Musk wasted no time in taking control with brutal efficiency, firing top executives but providing little clarity over how he will achieve the ambitions he has outlined for the influential social media platform. He fired CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Regal, general counsel Sean Edgett, and head of the legal, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde almost immediately after taking charge. Agrawal and Segal were in Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters when the deal closed and were escorted out, according to sources. There has been no comment yet from Twitter about its new management team.

Elon Musk, who considers himself a “free speech absolutist”, has been critical of Twitter’s management and its moderation policies. They have often clashed over the terms of the takeover, with Musk accusing the social media platform of providing misleading information about the platform’s user numbers. He has also said he would reverse bans on suspended users, which could include former US President Donald Trump, who was excluded following the Capitol riot in January 2021.

However, earlier this week, Musk said that he doesn’t want the platform to become an echo chamber for hate and division. “Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hell-scape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” he tweeted. Musk claims that he didn’t buy the firm “to make more money. I did it to help humanity, whom I love”.

Musk has changed his Twitter profile to read “Chief Twit” and some users believe that he will take the reins at the firm himself. He also tweeted a video of himself walking into Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco carrying a kitchen sink with the caption: “let that sink in!”

Musk has indicated he sees Twitter as a foundation for building a “super app” that offers everything from money transfers to shopping and ride-hailing.