Last Updated on October 28, 2022
Elon Musk plans to take on the role of chief executive of Twitter as his $44 billion deal to buy the company becomes official. The tech mogul immediately moved to fire a handful of top Twitter executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal and Vijaya Gadde, who served as the head of legal, policy, and trust. Gadde was responsible for the decision to ban President Trump from the platform during his final days in office.
According to a report from Reuters, Musk plans to overturn permanent bans on Twitter users. Musk has repeatedly stated that he views Twitter as a “digital town square” and that he does not believe in lifetime bans. This includes Trump, though the former president has yet to comment on whether he will return to the platform. The 45th president has previously said that he intends to stick with Truth Social.
It is unclear exactly when permanent user bans will be overturned as of this time.
Musk celebrated the acquisition of Twitter with a tweet saying, “The bird is freed,” a reference to the company’s logo.
Courts had set a Friday deadline for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to complete the historic $44 billion deal. The company has yet to post a statement officially confirming the deal, though the departures combined with Musk’s dramatic entrance to Twitter headquarters on Wednesday have all but confirmed its completion.
Musk has stated that while he is a “free speech absolutist,” the platform will still have tools in place to remove content deemed problematic. The tech mogul said his motivation for acquiring the platform was to provide a space where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”
“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,” he said.