Tweet, Tweet: Elon Musk buys social media platform

Elon Musk now officially owns Twitter after sealing a $44bn deal to buy the social media platform.

The purchase caps a six-month drama where Twitter initially resisted Musk’s bid but then turned to sue him after the billionaire signalled he would nix the deal due to concerns about spam accounts and lax cybersecurity practices.

Next, I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2022

Throwing the bird with a stone

One of his first decisions at the top was to fire three top executives: CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and the head of policies and trust, Vijaya Gadde. These were all alleged reports and are unconfirmed by Musk and Twitter.

Twitter’s general counsel, Sean Edgett was also fired. This is according to the Washington Post, who cited an unnamed source.

Job cuts are anticipated at the company. Musk has reportedly denied a Washington Post that suggested that he plans to slash a portion of the workforce.

Musk Political Panorama

In a lengthy message on Twitter – before the purchase deadline – Musk denied any intention to turn Twitter into a “hellscape”

“The reason I acquired Twitter is (that) it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” said Musk.

Elon Musk has previously cast himself as a moderate, regularly weighing in on politics. He has shared some unorthodox proposals for handling global conflicts ranging from Taiwan to Ukraine.

The Tesla CEO, earlier this year, said he would vote for the Republican party in the upcoming elections. Explaining that the Democrats became a “party of division and hate”. He later retracted this saying he supports moderate candidates from both parties.

Digital Free Speech Era

Elon Musk has described himself as a free-speech absolutist. His interest in the platform has become a catalyst for the debate around free speech in the digital age. Musk has criticised Twitter’s moderation policies and reliance on advertising.

The absolutist, in May, said he would reinstate former US President Donal Trump’s Twitter account. Trump was removed from the platform for allegedly inciting violence linked to the January 6 riots at the Capitol.

Many are concerned that Musk’s Twitter reign will see the platform open for hate speech and misinformation. However, some conservatives have praised the deal. They have seen it as a corrective step in response to the censorship of politically incorrect views.