What will new “Chief Twit” mean for Twitter?

elonmusk

Elon Musk has completed a $44bn takeover of Twitter, with the world’s richest man tweeting earlier this morning: “the bird is freed.”

The owner of Tesla changed his Twitter profile to “Chief Twit” as he plans to take the company off the NYSE.

So far there has been no official word from Twitter, [* SEE UPDATE AT END OF ARTICLE] but the New York Stock Exchange stated that the company’s shares will be suspended from trading. Reuters has reported this morning that equity investors had received paperwork for the “financing commitment” from Musk’s legal team.

But what will a takeover by the “free speech absolutist” mean for the social media platform?

In an update last night, he spoke directly to advertisers:

“I also very much believe that advertising when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed, but is right for you.

“For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs.

“Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content!”

He added:

“Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise.

“To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together.”

Some of those comments relate to the lengthy takeover saga. Musk became the company’s largest shareholder in April and a deal was reached for the $44bn takeover. At the time, he said he planned to clean up its spam accounts and encourage free speech.

However, a month later the deal seemed to be off, with Musk pointing out that he had concerns about the number of fake accounts, which he said were higher than Twitter had claimed.

By July, he said he was no longer interested in the company at all, so Twitter filed a lawsuit to hold him to the original terms of the deal.

Then, earlier this month, Musk said he would continue with the takeover, providing the court proceedings stopped.

The immediate change at Twitter, according to US media this morning, has been the departure of a number of high profile executives, including CEO, Parag Agrawal; Chair Bret Taylor; CFO, Ned Segal; and legal and policy exec, Vijaya Gadde.

Subscribe to the Prolific North Daily Newsletter Today!

Want all the latest content from Prolific North delivered direct to your inbox daily? Of course you do!


Last night, Musk explained his motivation behind the acquisition:

“There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has been 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. There is currently a great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.

“In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fuelled and catered to those polarised extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost.”

He said he didn’t expect it to be easy and it wasn’t to make more money:

“I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognising that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts is a very real possibility.”

Musk also responded to critics who fear that by pursuing a policy of free speech, it could lead to changes in moderation policies. The same policies which have led to bans for hate speech and abuse.

“… Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hells cape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” he added

“In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature.”

The New York Stock Exchange will open at 2.30pm UK time.

UPDATE – 14.00 28/10

Twitter has notified the NYSE of its intention to be removed from the Stock Exchange from 8th November.

“The merger between Twitter, Inc. and X Holdings II, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of X Holdings I, Inc., wholly owned by Elon R. Musk became effective on October 27, 2022. Each share of Twitter, Inc. Common Stock was exchanged for USD 54.20 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes.

“The Exchange also notifies the Securities and Exchange Commission that as a result of the above indicated conditions this security was suspended from trading before market open on October 28, 2022.”

Related News