Elon Musk Takes Over Twitter

Chief Executive Officer of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, is the new owner of Twitter. Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion on October 27th, 2022.

Twitter is a crucial database that allows businesses, corporations, celebrities, influencers, and people from all over the world to market themselves, share information, and connect. Elon Musk’s vision for “Twitter 2.0” is to clean up the social media platform and create the most accurate informative media source. Nowadays, more than ever, the country has become divided by politics. The internet and some news media outlets are spewing misinformation leading people to believe in inaccurate information. Musk recently remarked, “We’re just gonna put all the information out there try to get a clean slate. We will be iteratively better, and it will force other media companies to also be more truthful or else they’ll lose their readership.”

Elon Musk felt the desire to buy Twitter to “help humanity, whom [he loves].” He claims he didn’t buy the firm “to make more money.” 

Musk expressed his hope to resolve conflict regarding freedom of speech and censoring on social media. Social media has become the focal point of society for hot topics and news. It’s important that people are informed about the truth to formulate their own opinions. Social media has been distinguished as a leading factor and influencer in politics and voting.

Below are some frequently asked questions    

Has the number of Twitter users increased or decreased since Elon Musk has taken over the platform?

The number of users on Twitter has increased substantially by 21% since October 27th, 2022. Elon Musk recently tweeted, “Twitter added 1.6 million daily active users this past week, another all-time high.”

Why are so many Twitter employees resigning or being let go?

Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to his employees stating that employees who plan on staying must be committed to working “long hours at high intensity” and must return to in-office work—remote work is no longer tolerable. Musk also mentioned and made it clear that “only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.” The new “hardcore mentality” Elon Musk has implemented at the Twitter headquarters has created a culture shock among Twitter employees. Musk’s expectations have led employees to disagree with his ambitions and criticize Musk both at the office and shame him publicly.  Employees who criticized Elon Musk or disagreed with his new standards were either fired or obliged to resign.  

Prior to Musk taking over Twitter, the company employed 7,500 full-time employees, according to The New York Times. Now, Musk wants to reduce his workforce to around 3,700 employees. Musk is decreasing the company’s workforce to bring down costs and create a more efficient team.

What is the $8 Twitter Fee?

Accounts that are verified have a blue check displayed next to the username of their account. Before Musk became the owner of Twitter, the only accounts that were able to become verified were celebrities, politicians, and companies. Now, everyone has the opportunity to become verified, regardless of their account’s following because of the new $8 Twitter Fee. Any user who wishes to be verified must apply to become verified, and if Twitter approves their account, the user must pay $8 a month to maintain verification status. 

Elon Musk’s “Twitter 2.0” is evolving daily. It will be exciting to see the evolution of Twitter in the next few months and learn what Elon Musk’s vision lives to be. Will Elon Musk save both the planet and social media? Stay tuned @scituation.net