Elon Musk has terminated Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal. (FILE)
New Delhi:
Elon Musk posted a cryptic tweet on Friday after taking control of Twitter and firing its top executives. “The bird is freed,” Mr Musk tweeted a day after he said Twitter “cannot become a free-for-all hellscape.” Twitter has a blue bird as its logo.
He completed the $44 billion deal on the eve of a deadline given by a US court to avoid going to trial.
the bird is freed
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022
The Tesla chief terminated Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, the Washington Post and CNBC reported citing unnamed sources. He had accused them of misleading him and Twitter investors over the number of fake accounts on the social media platform.
Before closing the acquisition, Mr Musk walked into Twitter’s headquarters on Wednesday with a big grin and carrying a porcelain sink, subsequently tweeting “let that sink in.” He changed his description in his Twitter profile to “Chief Twit.”
Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
He also tried to calm fears among employees that major layoffs are coming and assured advertisers that his past criticism of Twitter’s content moderation rules would not harm its appeal.
“Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” Mr Musk said in an open letter to advertisers on Thursday.
Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022
The deal is the culmination of a remarkable saga, full of twists and turns, that sowed doubt over whether Mr Musk would complete the deal. It began on April 4, when he disclosed a 9.2% stake in the company, making him its largest shareholder.