As Twitter crumbles under Elon Musk’s leadership there are concerns over the platform’s future

Elon Musk has turned Twitter on its head - but what comes next for the platform could be even more electrifying.

Elon Musk was carrying a kitchen sink when he arrived at Twitter’s headquarters in the hours before his $US44bn ($A65.93bn) purchase of the social media giant was finalised in October.

In case the metaphor wasn’t obvious enough, the self-proclaimed new “Chief Twit” posted a video of the moment and said: “Entering Twitter – let that sink in!”

Three months on, two alternate meanings of the entrepreneur’s entrance have emerged.

The billionaire is throwing the kitchen sink at overhauling Twitter.

He has vowed to work and sleep at its San Francisco offices until the company is “fixed”, rather than managing his electric car behemoth Tesla. Its market value is now 60 per cent down from when Musk bought Twitter, a decline that has cost him his status as the world’s richest man.

Elon Musk entering Twitter HQ holding a sink. Source: Twitter

Maybe Musk’s “nano-manager” approach will succeed. Or maybe the kitchen sink will soon be all that is left of the platform used by more than 250 million people every day.

While that number is well below other platforms, Twitter’s connection to media and politics has long given it an outsized social influence, driving movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter.

Musk says he bought Twitter to protect and enhance its role as a “common digital square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner”.

“I didn’t do it because it would be easy,” he said after taking over.

“I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try and help humanity, whom I love.”

Musk says he bought Twitter to protect and enhance its role as a “common digital square”. Picture: AFP

He also did it because he ultimately had no choice.

Back in April, Musk revealed he had secretly purchased nine per cent of Twitter, making him the biggest shareholder. Instead of taking a board seat, Musk then sought to buy the company for well above its market worth because of its “extraordinary potential”.

Within weeks, however, Musk wanted to back out of the deal. The company sued him to enforce it, only for him to sue them in an extraordinary effort to walk away. By October, realising he was likely to lose at trial, Musk was forced to follow through on his bid.

His change of heart was forgotten by the time he took charge. Musk’s “extremely hardcore” work ethic has spurred whiplash-inducing changes to Twitter’s front-facing experience and backroom operations, leaving users and analysts alike revelling in the chaos while questioning whether the platform will survive.

In a running commentary to his 122 million followers, Musk explains his actions by regularly citing his commitment to free speech – although this is only on his terms.

Back in April, Musk revealed he had secretly purchased nine per cent of Twitter, making him the biggest shareholder. Picture: AFP

Thousands of banned accounts have been restored including Donald Trump, who is yet to resume tweeting, and Kanye West, who has since been shut down again.

But journalists covering Musk have been suspended, along with an account which tracked his private jet.

Racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic posts have leapt, spooking advertisers despite Musk’s assurances that Twitter would not become a “free-for-all hellscape”.

Half of the company’s top 100 advertisers have pulled their spending, according to Media Matters.

Musk also scrapped an online safety advisory body and set up his own content moderation council, only to tell staff in a leaked video: “At the end of the day, it will be me deciding … I can choose who’s on that content council, and I don’t need to listen to what they say.”

Most notably, Musk has shared internal documents with hand-picked journalists about free speech issues under the company’s former leadership.

The “Twitter Files” have delivered fascinating and important revelations about the FBI’s influence on the company’s censoring regime, the shadow-banning of conservative voices, and the decision to suppress the New York Post’s scoop during the 2020 US presidential election about the questionable business dealings of Joe Biden’s son Hunter.

Thousands of banned accounts have been restored including Donald Trump, who is yet to resume tweeting, and Kanye West, who has since been shut down again. Picture: AFP

But critics say the files merely demonstrate the messy process of content moderation in action, while the FBI this week accused “conspiracy theorists” of trying to “discredit the agency” with misinformation.

Former Twitter boss Jack Dorsey wants Musk to simply release all the company’s files, saying: “There’s nothing to hide … only a lot to learn from.”

On the business side, Musk has made several attempts to launch a subscription-based verification service, with one ill-fated effort spurring a wave of corporate parody accounts.

A pharmaceutical giant’s share price tumbled after an impostor tweeted that insulin was free, while a Pepsi spoof said Coke was better and a Tesla fake bragged about using child labour.

As Twitter staff raced to put out that fire, Musk declared user numbers were at an all-time high, a claim that is difficult to verify now the company is in private hands.

“One thing is for sure,” he said. “It isn’t boring!”

This video grab taken from a video posted on the Twitter account of Elon Musk in October shows himself carrying a sink as he enters the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco. Picture: Twitter.

Musk has also fired more than half of Twitter’s 7500-strong workforce, saying the company would otherwise have spent $US5bn ($A7.49bn) next year and only brought in $US3bn ($A4.5bn).

“This company is like you’re in a plane that is headed towards the ground at high speed with the engines on fire and the controls don’t work,” he said.

The 51-year-old has portrayed himself as the only person who can land the plane.

When 10 million users voted for him to step down this week, he said he would only go when he found someone “foolish enough to take the job”.

The bigger question is whether the plane will take off again.

Part of Musk’s motive to charge subscription fees is about shoring up the company’s finances. But it is also the first step towards his “grander vision” to turn Twitter into a “super app” that could allow users to make payments, hail a ride and text friends all in one place.

In that mission, Twitter is well behind Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger – all of which are substantially more popular in Australia.

While #RIPTwitter has trended since Musk’s arrival, many users have been unwilling or unable to drag themselves away, both because of their entrenched networks and the lack of an obvious alternative.

It helps, as Musk said, that it’s not boring. The little blue bird flies on.