Ariana Baio
Nov 04, 2022
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There have been a lot of changes at Twitter since billionaire Elon Musk acquired it last week.
From introducing an $8 Twitter verification badge to firing executives, Musk has big plans to make Twitter the free-speech platform he's envisioned.
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Here is a timeline of Musk's chaotic first week at Twitter.
Day one: "let that sink in"
26 October
Two days before Musk's legal acquisition occurred, he visited Twitter HQ with a kitchen sink. As a well-known fan of memes and internet trolling, Musk tipped his hat to the well-known "let that sink in" meme.
"Entering Twitter HQ- let that sink in!" Musk tweeted.
\u201cEntering Twitter HQ \u2013 let that sink in!\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1666809958
Day two: confirm Twitter will not be a "free-for-all hellscape"
27 October
To calm the nerves of users and advertisers, Musk posted a three-page note to Twitter confirming there would be some moderation in place to keep Twitter safe.
That being said, Musk wants Twitter to be a free-speech public square where most opinions can be shared openly, free of censorship.
Later on Thursday, Musk informed users "the bird is freed."
\u201cthe bird is freed\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1666928951
Day three: fired top executives
28 October
As soon as Musk obtained legal ownership of the company he fired top executives, as expected.
CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Sega, and Chief Legal Officer and Policy Chief Vijaya Gadde were the top three fired the same day Musk took legal ownership.
In place of executives he's fired, Musk asked old friends and colleagues to help get his Twitter up and running.
Employees are anticipating more layoffs as Musk tries to cut costs.
Day four: begin handling complaints
29 October
To make positive change on Twitter, Musk began listening to and taking in complaints from users to make the platform for the people by the people.
Some of the ideas included expanding character limits, censoring election news, and user moderation.
Day five: share conspiracy theory
30 October
After Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked at his home, Musk shared a conspiracy theory article about the attack.
Shortly after learning the article was fake, Musk deleted his tweet.
Later that day, Musk poked fun at the conspiracy he shared by joking he shared a New York Times article, insinuating NYT is the real fake news.
\u201cThis is fake \u2013 I did *not* tweet out a link to The New York Times!\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1667174668
Day six: joke about Donald Trump rejoining
31 October
Questions as to whether Musk would allow former president Donald Trump to rejoin have been looming in the air since Musk made a bid for the social media platform.
In true Musk fashion, he poked fun at the constant interrogations - still not giving an answer to the sought-after question.
\u201cIf I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if Trump is coming back on this platform, Twitter would be minting money!\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1667236205
Day seven: revamp verification
1 November
Part of handling complaints included changing who and how people get verified on Twitter.
In keeping with a free-speech and open-source future Twitter, Musk began toying with the idea of having users pay a subscription model for a verification mark.
Despite users responding that they "wouldn't pay" Musk decided to implement it anyway.
\u201c@StephenKing We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?\u201d— Stephen King (@Stephen King) 1667215417
For $8 Twitter users can get a blue check mark, fewer ads, priority in mentions and searches, and more.
Day ten: layoff half the company
4 November
Putting an end to his first full week as head of Twitter, Musk informed employees they would begin staff cuts, although unclear exactly how many people would be laid off, most people estimate it's about half the company.
“In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global work force,” an email to employees read.
Twitter employees shared tearful goodbyes on the social media platform as they prepared for major staff cuts.
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