SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk became Twitter’s owner late Thursday as his $44 billion deal to take over the company officially closed, marking a new era for one of the world’s most influential social media platforms.
As one of his first moves, he fired several top Twitter executives, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. One of those confirmed the deal was complete.
CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal, and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust, and safety, were let go, according to the people. Sean Edgett, the company’s general counsel, was also pushed out, one of the people said.
The top executives were hastily booted from the company’s San Francisco headquarters.
Musk’s moves late Thursday signal his intentions to firmly put his stamp 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 cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” Musk tweeted Thursday.
The closure of the deal ended a months-long roller coaster 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.
But in recent days, Musk appeared resigned, and even enthusiastic, about his impending ownership. He showed up at the company’s offices unexpectedly on Wednesday, carrying a sink to suggest that the message that he would become owner needed to “sink in,” according to a photo he posted to his more than 100 million Twitter followers.
He also plans to hold a companywide town hall on Friday…
Continue this report at The Washington Post
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