Photo: Alamy
Elon Musk is shaking things up at Twitter as the company’s new owner, kicking the old masthead to the curb and clarifying his vision for the social media platform amid a hotly anticipated acquisition.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, acquired Twitter for a whopping $44 billion after months of tense litigation between himself and the social media giant, per CNBC. Musk officially took control on Thursday, Oct. 28, and he reportedly immediately fired an entire slate of censorship-happy leaders in the company, signaling an oncoming seismic shift in the site’s approach to conduct and dissemination of data.
According to CNBC, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and the Head of Legal Policy, Trust and Safety, Vijaya Gadde have exited the company, clearing the way for what many users are hoping is an experience centered on free speech.
Musk stated his intention earlier this week to shape Twitter into a “digital town square” and addressed the need for highly relevant ads over low relevancy ads. “Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise,” he wrote in an official statement to advertisers.
It appears that Musk is not only intent on growing Twitter as a space where users can engage in open and free debate but as a place where businesses and creators will be able to share their content easily and efficiently.
Truth Social, the dominant free-speech social media platform kick-started by President Trump, has been the go-to site for conservatives and proponents of First Amendment rights since its launch in February.
“I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country,” Trump wrote on Friday, tipping his hat to Musk’s mission to broaden the scope of free speech on the Internet.
Twitter has been notorious for suspending users and allegedly engaging in shadow banning. Ahead of the midterm elections, many are hopeful that with Musk at the helm, Twitter will now allow election information and news to be shared freely.
Per The Post Millennial, hundreds of Twitter employees reportedly left their employment with the company ahead of Musk’s takeover in favor of heading to censorship-heavy companies like Google and Meta.
As a historic November election season approaches, Truth Social and Twitter are poised to provide an open forum for citizen debate and sharing information regarding candidates, polling, and nationwide races.
