US media reported that Elon Musk took control of Twitter ‘s headquarters and that at least one of the fired executives was escorted by security members out of the company’s offices.
Elon Musk , founder of Tesla and SpaceX, took control of Twitter on Thursday after completing the purchase of the social network for 44 billion dollars, according to several specialized media in the United States.
After months of soap opera, the world’s richest man immediately fired CEO Parag Agrawal , as well as CFO Ned Segal and General Counsel Vijaya Gadde , according to The Washington Post .
Twitter did not immediately respond to an AFP request in this regard.
Musk had until Friday to close the purchase of the social network , otherwise a trial would have been held in November.
The deal had been going on since it launched a $44 billion takeover offer in late April, which Twitter reluctantly accepted.
The billionaire then tried to unilaterally reverse the deal in early July, accusing the company of lying to him, but the social network’s board of directors took the matter to court.
Until the signs that the operation was finally underway multiplied throughout the week.
The richest man in the world, for example, went to the company’s headquarters on Wednesday, and on his Twitter profile he changed his presentation to “Chief Twit”, an irony since “twit” means “cretin” in English.
In addition, the New York Stock Exchange, the stock exchange where Twitter is listed , indicated that the platform’s action would be suspended from trading on Friday before the opening of the session.
future of civilization
Musk tried to reassure advertisers by saying Thursday that he wants to allow the expression of all opinions on the social network, without making it a “hellish” platform where everything will be allowed.
“It is important for the future of civilization to have a public space online where a wide variety of opinions can debate in a healthy way, without resorting to violence,” he wrote in a message to brands, which provide the majority of Twitter revenue .
A self-appointed champion of freedom of expression has indicated that he plans to relax content moderation, fueling fears about an increase in abuse and misinformation on the platform.
It opened, among other things, the door to a return of the former president of the United States, Donald Trump , vetoed after the assault on the Capitol by his followers in 2021.
A position that causes rejection among certain advertisers who usually prefer to see their advertisements associated with moderate content.
In his message, Musk stated that he is not looking to “make money” with this purchase but rather “try to help humanity.” “In addition to respecting the laws, our platform must be welcoming to everyone,” he said.
In commercial terms, the businessman maintains that it is essential for the company to display advertisements that correspond to the “needs” of Internet users.
voluntary departures
Musk also wants to strengthen the fight against spam and made cryptic references to “X”, his vision of a global application that includes messaging, social networks, financial services … as WeChat does in China.
Following the purchase, “the culture of the company could change profoundly, and rapidly,” said Adam Badawi, a law professor at UC Berkeley.
According to a Washington Post article last week, Musk told investors he hoped, in the long run, to lay off 75% of Twitter’s 7,500 employees.
“That was a blow to a lot of people,” one of the employees told AFP on condition of anonymity.
According to internal company figures, more than 700 employees have already left the Californian group since June. “They are rather voluntary departures, either for ethical reasons, or for purely financial reasons. Because a company that is not listed is less interesting,” he said, referring to Musk’s interest in taking Twitter out of the stock market.
The billionaire declared earlier this month that it is “essential” that another of his companies, Tesla, be listed on Wall Street, “because if the public doesn’t like what Tesla does, the public can buy shares and vote differently.”
“It’s very important that I can’t just do what I want,” he added with a laugh.
(With information from AFP)