{"id":222949,"date":"2022-10-31T12:02:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T12:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=222949"},"modified":"2022-10-29T05:38:32","modified_gmt":"2022-10-29T04:38:32","slug":"musk-takes-twitter-helm-enacts-sweeping-change-as-deal-closes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2022\/10\/musk-takes-twitter-helm-enacts-sweeping-change-as-deal-closes\/","title":{"rendered":"Musk Takes Twitter Helm, Enacts Sweeping Change as Deal Closes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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28 Oct 2022 – <\/em>Elon Musk wasted no time taking complete control of Twitter Inc.<\/a> The billionaire appointed himself chief executive officer, dismissed senior management and immediately began reshaping strategy at one of the world\u2019s most influential social media platforms as his $44 billion take-private deal closed.<\/p>\n

Musk, 51, is replacing Parag Agrawal, who was fired along with three other top executives, a person familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified discussing internal deliberations. The mercurial entrepreneur, who also leads Tesla Inc.<\/a> and SpaceX<\/a>, may eventually cede the Twitter CEO role in the longer term, the person added. Twitter representatives declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Musk\u2019s acquisition puts the world\u2019s richest man in charge of a struggling social network after six months of public and legal wrangling. Among Musk\u2019s first moves: changing the leadership. Departures include Vijaya Gadde, the head of legal, policy and trust; Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, who joined Twitter in 2017; and Sean Edgett, who has been general counsel at Twitter since 2012. Edgett was escorted out of the building, Bloomberg News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Musk also intends to do away with permanent bans on users because he doesn\u2019t believe in lifelong prohibitions, the person said. That means people previously booted off the platform may be allowed to return, a category that would include former president Donald Trump, the person said. It\u2019s unclear however if Trump would be allowed back on Twitter in the near term.<\/p>\n

In response to a Twitter user complaining they are being \u201cshadowbanned, ghostbanned, searchbanned,\u201d as well as having followers removed, Musk said in a tweet on Friday that he will be \u201cdigging in more today<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The takeover caps a convoluted saga that began in January with the billionaire\u2019s quiet accumulation of a major stake in the company, his growing exasperation with how it\u2019s run and an eventual merger accord that he later spent months trying to unravel. Musk\u2019s buyout marks the end of nine years of public trading. Twitter debuted with a bang<\/a> on the New York Stock Exchange in 2013 but failed to match the rocket ride achieved by some other tech heavyweights.<\/p>\n

The change in leadership will bring immediate disruption to Twitter\u2019s operations, in part because many of Musk\u2019s ideas for how to change the company are at odds with how it has been run for years. He\u2019s said he wants to ensure \u201cfree speech<\/a>\u201d on the social network.<\/p>\n

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\"TOPSHOT-US-TWITTER-MUSK-INTERNET-JUSTICE\"<\/div>\n<\/div>
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A screengrab of Elon Musk carrying a sink as he enters the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco on Oct. 26.<\/strong><\/div>\n
Source: Twitter account of Elon Musk\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Twitter banned Trump days after the 2021 Capitol insurrection, citing the \u201crisk of further incitement of violence.\u201d With the former president widely expected to make another run for the White House in 2024, a return to Twitter could grant him an opportunity to turbocharge his message.<\/p>\n

More broadly, Musk\u2019s initiatives threaten to undo<\/a> years of Twitter\u2019s efforts to reduce bullying and abuse on the platform.<\/p>\n

The prospect of less restrictive content moderation under Musk\u2019s leadership has prompted concerns that dialogue on the social network will deteriorate, eroding years of efforts by the company and its \u201ctrust and safety\u201d team to limit offensive or dangerous posts. On Thursday, Musk posted a note to advertisers seeking to reassure them he doesn\u2019t want Twitter to become a \u201cfree-for-all hellscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

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the bird is freed<\/p>\n

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n