Musk completes his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter, instantly firing a variety of the corporate’s prime executives and tweeting “the chook is freed”.
Earlier than formally taking cost of the corporate, Musk modified his Twitter profile to learn “Chief Twit” and turned as much as Twitter HQ in San Francisco carrying a sink, saying: “Let that sink in!”
Musk responds to issues that he’ll loosen laws on the firm governing hate speech and misinformation by saying he’s “not but made any modifications”. He provides {that a} new “content material moderation council with broadly numerous viewpoints” will meet earlier than any coverage modifications.
After a surge in tweets containing racist language, Twitter’s head of belief and security says: “Hateful conduct has no place right here.” Yoel Roth says the corporate is taking motion in opposition to customers “concerned on this trolling marketing campaign” to make Twitter protected and welcoming for everybody.
Musk tweets a hyperlink to an article containing a variety of inaccuracies about an assault on the husband of US Home of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi by a hammer-wielding intruder. The location has a historical past of publishing inaccurate tales and Musk later deletes the tweet after a backlash.
With simply over every week to go earlier than the US midterm elections, Musk responds to questions on whether or not he’ll reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account on Twitter by tweeting: “If I had a greenback for each time somebody requested me if Trump is coming again on this platform, Twitter can be minting cash!”
President Trump’s account was suspended after a tweet he despatched was deemed to have inspired his supporters after they stormed the US Congress on 6 January 2021 in a bid to cease Joe Biden’s election victory from being licensed.
Later that day, Musk attended a halloween celebration in New York and posed for pictures carrying a “Satan’s champion” costume.
Picture copyright by Getty Pictures
Following studies that Twitter will start charging customers to have verified accounts, Musk responds to criticism from writer Stephen King by saying: “We have to pay the payments in some way!”.
Workers on the firm start receiving emails entitled “Your Function at Twitter” informing them whether or not they have misplaced their jobs. Some employees tweeted that their accounts had been locked and their laptops had been remotely wiped.
Yoel Roth, the pinnacle of belief and security, mentioned 50% of the corporate’s practically 8,000 staff had been laid off however sought to reassure customers and advertisers that the platform’s moderation capability remained intact.
Responding to information in regards to the layoffs, Musk tweeted: “Concerning Twitter’s discount in power, sadly there isn’t a alternative when the corporate is shedding over $4M/day.”
Twitter co-founder and ex-CEO Jack Dorsey breaks his silence over the Musk takeover to apologise to employees who’ve misplaced their jobs, saying: “I personal the accountability for why everyone seems to be on this scenario: I grew the corporate measurement too shortly.”
Musk proclaims that Twitter accounts impersonating individuals with out being clearly labelled a parody will probably be completely suspended – a change to the earlier course of when accounts got a warning earlier than being closed down.
Quite a few accounts that modified their title to “Elon Musk” and mocked the billionaire had already been suspended or positioned behind a warning signal.
In his first electronic mail to Twitter employees, Musk warns that the “financial image forward is dire” and provides: “With out vital subscription income, there’s a good likelihood Twitter won’t survive the upcoming financial downturn.” In a controversial transfer, he additionally advised staff they might not do business from home except they’d a selected exception.
In the meantime, after the launch of the $8-a-month Twitter Blue subscription, which provides paying customers a blue tick, a slew of parody accounts that seem like verified emerge, together with a pretend George W Bush account that tweets: “I miss killing Iraqis”.
Extra high-profile employees give up, together with head of belief and security Yoel Roth and chief safety officer Lea Kissner.
The choice to subscribe to Twitter Blue disappears after its preliminary bumpy roll-out. Musk later confirms that the launch of the service has been put again to the top of November “to be sure that it’s rock strong”.
Stories in US media say hundreds of contractors who had been working for Twitter have had their contracts terminated. Expertise information website Platformer says as many as 80% of its 5,500 contractor workforce had been laid off within the transfer however the firm made no official announcement.
In a late-night electronic mail to all Twitter employees, Musk says staff should decide to a “hardcore” tradition of working “lengthy hours at excessive depth” or depart the corporate.
In a shock announcement, Twitter says its firm places of work will probably be closed briefly however doesn’t say why. The transfer comes amid studies that giant numbers of Twitter employees had chosen to resign quite than signal as much as the long run “hardcore” working setting described by Musk.
Responding to fears the platform was about to close down attributable to shedding key employees, Musk tweeted: “The perfect persons are staying, so I’m not tremendous anxious.”
