Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter made global headlines with the deal that started as a joke looking likely to collapse at first before finally happening. The storm around the Twitter takeover is still sweeping the internet as the privatization of one of the biggest social platforms in the world continues to evoke mixed reactions.Twitter has joined Tesla, SpaceX, and the other companies under Elon Musk’s control that never seem to shy away from controversy. With more drama expected to follow after the sweeping changes to the platform, and the future of free speech seemingly in the hands of one man, netizens couldn’t help but express their feelings. Being the dramatic boss he is, Elon Musk himself joined the meme exchange.
Elon Musk’s Stealth Approach
Despite being one of the most active billionaires on Twitter, Elon Musk was seen by many to be a troll because of how he used the platform to make controversial comments with his chaotic tweets. He even used his Twitter account to dismiss Facebook after he deactivated his account on the platform describing it as lame.
Despite being active on Twitter, he never made his interest in buying the platform public, as he does most of his other major projects. By the time his interest in the platform became public, he already owned nearly 10 percent of it and was entitled to a board seat. He declined board membership and chose to buy the entire thing instead.
The Back And Forth
Elon Musk didn’t seem interested in buying Twitter before it was confirmed that he owned 9.2 percent of the company. The only thing he seemed interested in was lots of policy changes on the platform, some of which seemed impractical. The $44 billion deal then seemed to have collapsed shortly after news about it came out.
It felt like Elon Musk had pulled an expensive prank on Twitter, especially after the company took him to court. The back and forth that followed left many people wondering whether he would be forced to pay a fine for refusing to proceed with the purchase, but it was later confirmed that he would actually complete the deal.
The Uncertainty Around Twitter’s Future
All companies that Elon Musk owns, including SpaceX with its spacecraft and Tesla with its successful new EVs, are huge successes, but none of them are social media platforms that millions of people use every day. There were, therefore, mixed reactions to the take-over, with many people fearing that Elon Musk could well herald the end of Twitter as people know it.
Elon Musk fans, on the other hand, believed his promises of making the platform better and more inclusive. The worst possible outcome would be Elon Musk destroying it and then walking away, which would be sad, but still possible.
Elon Musk’s Sour Grapes
Before taking over Twitter, Elon Musk had positive tweets about the platform, saying it was the key to unlocking free speech. He then complained about supposed fake accounts before buying the company saying the executives didn’t want to admit it.
After buying the company, one of his first moves was to fire most of the company’s employees, claiming that the company was losing $4 million daily. The turnaround from the purposed savior to the crying owner was unexpected, as many people expected his takeover to be a smooth transition.
What He Promised Vs What He Delivered
Elon Musk promised lots of good things in his letter to the Twitter board while offering to buy the platform, including “unlocking the company’s full potential” for global free speech. The idea of a free for all Twitter with the symbol of the freed bird was one of the most famous reactions to the news.
However, after the takeover, Musk proved to be interested in the company’s financial success first, just like any other investor. Instead of the new cool features that would lead to the famous X app he promised, Elon Musk introduced himself to the company by firing most of the executives and other employees and introducing charges to the users.
The Paid Twitter Saga
Elon Musk said that Twitter was losing millions daily and that he was willing to do anything to make sure the platform turns a profit. The first change he proposed was the replacement of the free verified account service with a new version charged $8.
The idea of being charged for a blue tick didn’t go down well with many people, as many saw it as unnecessarily greedy. Most of the people with verified accounts are celebrities who have many followers and are responsible for the company’s most active tweets, which is why he seemed to be shooting himself in the foot.
The Twitter Bot Saga
Before buying Twitter for $44 billion, Elon Musk publicly argued with the then-Twitter CEO about the number of fake accounts on the platform. Musk suggested that fake accounts made up to 20 percent, against the company’s public information that put the accounts at a mere five percent.
The disagreement was the main reason why the deal almost fell through, as Elon Musk requested access to the technology that generates what Twitter calls Monetizable Daily Active Users (mDAU). Twitter took Elon Musk to court when he almost pulled out of the deal, but Elon Musk went ahead to summarize the entire ordeal in a meme.
Who Is Next
Elon Musk was one of the most active celebrities on Twitter even before he purchased the platform. The platform didn’t seem to have any similarity with the billionaire tech innovator’s other companies like SpaceX and Tesla, which is why his suggestions about buying the platform seemed like a joke at first.
He later clarified that he saw Twitter as a public property that was being mishandled, which is why he chose to buy it. That got many people thinking, what public good is he going to buy next? He continued to suggest other companies he could buy, including Manchester United.
The Celebrity Walk-Out
Within a week of Elon Musk taking over Twitter, over one million accounts were deactivated or suspended in what looked like a mass exodus from the platform. It was obvious that not everyone loved the new boss, as some deactivated accounts belonged to celebrities.
Gigi Hadid was one of the highest-profile exits from Twitter after the takeover. She described the new platform as a Cesspool of hate and bigotry after Elon Musk apparently fired the entire Human Rights team. Toni Braxton, Shonda Rhimes, and Tea Leoni are other names on the list of celebrities that have deactivated their Twitter accounts. While the meme is clearly form the perspective of one of Musk’s fans, the upvote count of 0 seems to reflect many people’s frustrations.
The Short-Lived Excitement
Elon Musk never refrained from criticizing some policies on Twitter before he took over the company. The restrictions on comedy artists and content variety are some of the policies he promised to change when he owned the company, which felt like good news for comedians.
However, after he took over, he not only imposed an $8 fee on the verification of accounts, but he also banned impersonation. This is just one of the many disappointments that some of the people that were excited about the takeover got as Elon Musk proved that he wasn’t going to make the platform free for all as he had promised.
