San Francisco: Elon Musk begins on Friday his first full day leading Twitter, with critics and fans anxious to see how the planet’s richest man will run one of the world’s leading social media platforms.
The mercurial Tesla chief’s tumultuous, $44 billion bid to buy the company concluded after months of uncertainty and speculation, and now users could start to see his plans.
Musk tweeted “the bird is freed” on Thursday, a jokey reference to the firm’s logo, shortly after he said he made the purchase “to help humanity, whom I love”.
Yet the idea of Musk running Twitter has alarmed activists who fear a surge in harassment and misinformation, with Musk himself known for trolling other Twitter users.
European politicians were quick to warn him that the continent had regulations for social media companies.
“In Europe, the bird will fly by our rules,” tweeted Thierry Breton, the EU internal market commissioner, in response on Friday to Musk’s “bird” message.
Musk said on Thursday Twitter “cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said with no consequences”.
He had previously vowed to dial back content moderation and was expected to clear the way for former US president Donald Trump to return to the platform.
The then-president was blocked over concerns he would ignite more violence like the deadly attack on the Capitol in Washington to overturn his election loss.
Far-right users were quick to rejoice over the purchase on the network, posting comments
such as “masks don’t work” and other taunts, under the belief that moderation rules will now be relaxed.
“Free speech will always prevail,” tweeted Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, prompting hundreds of mostly angry replies accusing her of hypocrisy.
