Elon Musk begins ‘digging in’ to Twitter as Donald Trump celebrates takeover

Elon Musk promised to “let the good times role” as he began his first full day digging into Twitter’s code, with Donald Trump celebrating the platform’s sale to the “sane” billionaire.

Elon Musk began “digging in” to Twitter’s code amid reports from high-profile users of remaining “shadowbanned” on the platform, as Donald Trump celebrated the sale to the very “sane hands” of the billionaire.

“Let the good times roll,” Musk tweeted a day after finalising his $US44bn ($A68bn) acquisition of the social media company.

🎶 let the good times roll 🎶

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022

Trump, expelled from Twitter two years ago at the end of his presidency, welcomed that the platform would “no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country.”

“Twitter must now work hard to rid itself of all of the bots and fake accounts that have hurt it so badly. It will be much smaller, but better,” Trump said on his competing Truth Social platform.

Musk began his first full day leading Twitter on Friday local time after saying Twitter’s bird had been “freed”, and reportedly immediately fired CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, general counsel Sean Edgett, and head of legal, policy, and trust Vijaya Gadde.

Former CEO Parag Agrawal was fired on the first day of Elon Musk taking over the company. Picture: AFP.

Gadde played a key role in banning then-president Trump in the wake of the 2021 US Capitol riot.

While Musk has indicated he would lift Trump’s Twitter ban, Trump has not committed to returning.

Despite ownership officially changing hands, conservative Twitter account “Catturd” complained they were still being “shadowbanned, ghostbanned, searchbanned”.

“And Twitter removed 1200 followers today – as usual. Nothing has changed,” they added.

Musk said he would look into the claim, saying: “I will be digging in more today”.

I will be digging in more today

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022

ELON MUSK’S CRYPTIC TWEET AFTER TAKEOVER

Billionaire Elon Musk has shared a cryptic tweet after he is understood to have sealed a $US44bn ($A68bn) deal to take over Twitter.

“The bird is freed,” Mr Musk tweeted on Friday afternoon, sparking a lot of debate about what that could mean for the social media platform.

Twitter users responded by suggesting this might mean previously suspended accounts, such as the one belonging to former US President Donald Trump, could be reinstated.

Mr Musk’s tweet generated at least 19,000 replies and more than 170,000 likes within minutes of being posted.

the bird is freed

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022

Mr Musk sealed a $US44bn ($A68bn) deal to buy out Twitter on Friday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Twitter’s chief executive, Parag Agrawal, and chief financial officer Ned Segal are no longer with the company, unnamed sources said, as the Tesla founder takes the reins.

Twitter has been suspended on the New York Stock Exchange.

Earlier, a photo was shared of Mr Musk at Twitter’s headquarter’s coffee bar mingling with a crowd.

At Twitter headquarters’ coffee bar, ⁦@elonmusk⁩ pic.twitter.com/vy5Cw7zttf

— Walter Isaacson (@WalterIsaacson) October 27, 2022

The billionaire entrepreneur also posted a message on his feed to reassure jittery advertisers on the eve of a court-imposed deadline to finalise the deal that he would work with marketers to “build something extraordinary together.”

Mr Musk said he pursued the deal “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.”

Do you support Musk’s Twitter takeover? Share your opinion in the comments field below.

Elon Musk’s Twitter dream is closer to becoming a reality. Picture: AFP

Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022

The planned takeover has dismayed activists who fear a surge in harassment and misinformation under the unpredictable Mr Musk, who himself is known for trolling other Twitter users.

But Mr Musk said he realises Twitter “cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said with no consequences.”

The Tesla boss’s on-again, off-again acquisition of the platform appeared to be entering its final phase after a Delaware judge paused litigation on October 6 on Twitter’s suit against Mr Musk after he previously walked away from the deal.

Mr Musk has reportedly been lining up financing and, while there is always the chance of a last-minute curveball, more signs point to the deal’s likely closure.

The New York Stock Exchange posted a pending order to suspend trading in Twitter before Friday’s session.

Shares of Twitter climbed 1.1 per cent to $53.96 near 1615 GMT Thursday, not far below the $54.20 purchase price in Mr Musk’s deal.

It’s never to late for the eccentric billionaire to throw a curveball. Picture: AFP

“We expect Musk and Twitter to officially close the deal by Friday morning with Cinderella finally getting the glass slipper that fits,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.

Mr Musk originally agreed to the Twitter acquisition in April, but soon pulled back, saying in July he was cancelling the contract because he was misled by Twitter over the number of fake “bot” accounts – allegations rejected by the company.

Twitter in turn sought to prove Mr Musk, who also heads aerospace firm SpaceX, was contriving excuses to walk away simply because he changed his mind.

A trial on Twitter’s suit was scheduled for mid-October, but the Delaware court gave the parties until 5pm on October 28, 2022 to close the transaction.

Fresh questions about the deal and Twitter’s future surfaced last week following reports Mr Musk planned deep staff cuts.

But on Wednesday, Mr Musk changed his Twitter profile to “Chief Twit” and posted a video of himself walking into the company’s California headquarters carrying a sink.

Originally published as Elon Musk begins ‘digging in’ to Twitter as Donald Trump celebrates takeover