The social media platform’s management begins to exit as the billionaire seals his takeover of the firm.
Image source, Getty ImagesElon Musk declared on Friday “let the good times roll” after he completed his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter.
The purchase of the social media firm by the world’s richest man was confirmed in a filing with the US government.
The deal follows months of public – and often hostile – wrangling between Mr Musk and Twitter management.
Senior figures at Twitter have already begun to leave the company with finance chief Ned Segal announcing his exit.
Chairman Bret Taylor has also left and there are reports that Twitter’s chief executive Parag Agrawal has gone.
Mr Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist”, has signalled he wants change at Twitter.
🎶 let the good times roll 🎶
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
On Friday, Mr Segal tweeted that his time at the company was the “most fulfilling of my career” and reflected on the strain caused by the uncertainty of the last six months.
“You learn so much when times are challenging and unpredictable, when we are tired or feel our integrity questioned,” Mr Segal said, alluding to Mr Musk’s public criticism of the company’s leadership.
“I have great hope for Twitter,” he added.
Mr Musk had tried to withdraw his offer for the firm over the summer citing inaccurate user data, but Twitter executives took legal action to force him to stand by his bumper offer for the social media platform.
The drawn-out battle has divided Twitter’s own users, some of whom are worried Mr Musk will loosen regulations governing hate speech and misinformation, and some of whom feel the previous management curtailed free speech with overly rigorous rules.
Mr Musk has said he sees the platform as a forum for “free speech” – while also assuring advertisers in a public note that he did not want it to become a “free-for-all hellscape”.
Former US President Donald Trump, who was banned by Twitter last year following the Capitol riot in January 2021, claimed that the takeover meant that Twitter was now in “sane hands” while reiterating his “love” for his own Twitter-like service, Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy head of the Security Council, also welcomed the new ownership.
“Good luck @elonmusk in overcoming political bias and ideological dictatorship on Twitter,” tweeted Mr Medvedev.