Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, announced on Thursday that he was purchasing Twitter in an apparent effort to allay advertisers’ concerns that his plans to promote free speech by loosening content control might create a more toxic environment. Musk also stated that his motivation for doing so was to “try to serve humanity.” Mr. Musk provided those advertisers with a lengthy statement in which he said that many of the allegations regarding his acquisition of Twitter and his views on advertising were “wrong.”
“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilisation to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner without resorting to violence,” he said. Mr Musk said increasing polarisation stoked by traditional media had damaged the “opportunity for dialogue” on the platform.
“That is why I bought Twitter. I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love.” He said the platform “must be warm and welcoming to all” and that users should be able to choose their desired experiences.
But Twitter cannot become a “free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences”, he said. The tweet came a day before Mr Musk closed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, bringing to an end a months-long process that at one point appeared to be headed for court.
Mr Musk’s first move after acquiring the company was to fire several senior personnel, according to media reports. Chief executive Parag Agrawal and finance chief Ned Segal left the company’s San Francisco headquarters and will not be returning, CNBC reported, citing sources.
Vijaya Gadde, the head of legal policy, trust and safety, was reportedly fired, the Washington Post reported.
He was pictured on the social media platform talking to staff at the company’s headquarters.
The buyout process has had its more light-hearted moments. Mr Musk on Wednesday walked into Twitter headquarters in San Francisco on Wednesday, carrying a sink. “Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in!” he tweeted. The world’s richest person also changed his Twitter profile to include the title “Chief Twit”.
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