Elon Musk at Twitter: Who could replace him as chief executive?

‘Chief Twit’ takes control

27 October 2022

Musk completes his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter, instantly firing a fig of the company’s apical executives and tweeting "the vertebrate is freed".

Before officially taking complaint of the company, Musk changed his Twitter illustration to work "Chief Twit" and turned up to Twitter HQ successful San Francisco carrying a sink, saying: "Let that descend in!"

Platform battles ‘trolling campaign’

29 October

After a surge successful tweets containing racist language, Twitter’s caput of spot and information says: "Hateful behaviour has nary spot here." Yoel Roth says the institution is taking enactment against users "involved successful this trolling campaign" to marque Twitter harmless and welcoming for everyone.

Musk shares inaccurate story

30 October

Musk tweets an nonfiction containing a fig of inaccuracies astir an onslaught connected the hubby of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi by a hammer-wielding intruder. The tract has a past of publishing inaccurate stories and Musk aboriginal deletes the tweet aft a backlash.

Trump instrumentality dismissed - for now

31 October

With conscionable implicit a week to spell earlier the US midterm elections, Musk responds to questions astir whether helium volition reinstate erstwhile President Donald Trump’s relationship connected Twitter by tweeting: "If I had a dollar for each clip idiosyncratic asked maine if Trump is coming backmost connected this platform, Twitter would beryllium minting money!"

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Later that day, Musk attended a halloween enactment successful New York and posed for photographs wearing a "Devil’s champion" costume.

Criticism implicit subscription service

1 November

Following reports that Twitter volition statesman charging users to person verified accounts, Musk responds to disapproval from writer Stephen King by saying: "We request to wage the bills somehow!".

Musk moves to chopped unit numbers

4 November

Employees astatine the institution statesman receiving emails entitled "Your Role astatine Twitter" informing them whether they person mislaid their jobs. Responding to quality astir the layoffs, Musk says "unfortunately determination is nary prime erstwhile the institution is losing implicit $4M/day".

Yoel Roth, the caput of spot and safety, said 50% of the company’s astir 8,000 employees had been laid disconnected but sought to reassure users and advertisers that the platform’s moderation capableness remained intact.

Twitter laminitis breaks silence

5 November

Twitter co-founder and ex-CEO Jack Dorsey breaks his soundlessness implicit the Musk takeover to apologise to unit who person mislaid their jobs, saying: "I ain the work for wherefore everyone is successful this situation: I grew the institution size excessively quickly."

Crackdown connected parody accounts

6 November

Musk announces that Twitter accounts impersonating radical without being intelligibly labelled a parody volition beryllium permanently suspended - a alteration to the erstwhile process erstwhile accounts were fixed a informing first.

A fig of accounts that changed their sanction to "Elon Musk" and mocked the billionaire had already been suspended oregon placed down a informing sign.

Warnings astir Twitter’s survival

9 November

In his archetypal email to Twitter staff, Musk warns that the "economic representation up is dire" and adds: "Without important subscription revenue, determination is simply a bully accidental Twitter volition not past the upcoming economical downturn."

Meanwhile, aft the motorboat of the $8-a-month Twitter Blue subscription, which gives paying users a bluish tick, a slew of parody accounts that look to beryllium verified emerge, including a fake George W Bush relationship that tweets: "I miss sidesplitting Iraqis". Within days, the work is paused.

Key unit permission company

10 November

More high-profile unit quit, including caput of spot and information Yoel Roth and main information serviceman Lea Kissner.

Musk cuts down connected contractors

12 November

Reports successful US media accidental thousands of contractors who had been moving for Twitter person had their contracts terminated. Technology quality tract Platformer says arsenic galore arsenic 80% of its 5,500 contractor workforce were laid disconnected successful the determination but the institution made nary authoritative announcement.

Staff told: Be hardcore oregon leave

16 November

In a late-night email to each Twitter staff, Musk says employees indispensable perpetrate to a "hardcore" civilization of moving "long hours astatine precocious intensity" oregon permission the company.

Company offices abruptly closed

17 November

In a astonishment announcement, Twitter says its institution offices volition beryllium closed temporarily. The determination comes amid reports that ample numbers of Twitter unit had resigned.

Responding to fears the level was astir to unopen down owed to losing cardinal staff, Musk tweeted: "The champion radical are staying, truthful I’m not ace worried."

Twitter Blue relaunched

12 December

The paid-for verification diagnostic Twitter Blue is relaunched. It is inactive $8 per period - but Twitter cranks it up to $11 for those utilizing the app connected Apple devices. Musk says helium resents the committee interest Apple charges connected in-app purchases.

Suspensions for determination ‘doxxing’

15 December

Musk says helium is taking ineligible enactment against the holder of the @ElonJet Twitter relationship that tracks his backstage jet, claiming it enactment his lad astatine risk.

He besides suspends the accounts of reporters for the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post, among others, saying they had shared his location.

After condemnation from the UN, a menace of sanctions from the European Union, and a Twitter poll, Musk lifts the suspension for the journalists’ accounts, saying "the radical person spoken". The @ElonJet relationship remains suspended.

Twitter users ballot for Musk to measurement down

18 December

Twitter users voted successful favour of Musk stepping down arsenic its main enforcement aft helium ran a canvass connected his future, promising helium would "abide by the results".

Millions voted, with a last full of 57.5% saying "yes".