The almost endless back and forth is over: Tesla boss Elon Musk (51) is now also the head of Twitter. He announced the information himself on the short message service on Thursday afternoon. In a post aimed at the social network’s advertisers, the multi-billionaire wrote: “I bought Twitter because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital space where a wide range of beliefs can be discussed in a healthy way can be done without resorting to violence.”
He made the observation that social networks would be divided into “right or left echo chambers”. This caused even more hatred and would further divide society. On the other hand, Twitter shouldn’t become a “place of horror” where everything is allowed. But: The platform must be “warm and inviting for everyone”. He would not be interested in this purchase to increase his fortune. He was aware that failure in this project was a “real possibility”.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the first 13 of a total of $46.5 billion have already flowed. Musk agreed on a takeover with Twitter in April, but withdrew his offer in July. The reason: The company gave him false information about fake accounts. However, the short message service insisted on compliance with the purchase agreement and filed a court case. Musk then announced in October that he would buy Twitter after the case against him was settled.
