On Monday, Twitter announced that Tesla CEO and the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, will acquire the company in a deal worth $44 billion.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a post Monday afternoon. “Twitter has tremendous potential — I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”
Musk had publicized his unsolicited offer to buy Twitter — also in a tweet — more than a week after he became the company’s largest shareholder.
Twitter’s board voted unanimously on the transaction, which is expected to close this year, pending stockholder and regulatory approval.
Here’s what people on Twitter are saying about the deal:
Twitter’s CEO, Parag Agrawal, said “Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world,” adding he’s “deeply proud” of their teams and is inspired “by the work that has never been more important,” in response to a tweet that announced the multibillion-dollar deal.
Bret Weinstein, a believer in ivermectin’s ability to cure COVID-19 (it doesn’t), congratulated Musk and criticized so-called “book-burners,” for their need for “the number of free social media platforms to be zero.”
Walter Shaub, former United States Office of Government Ethics director, called the sale a “victory for the people who want to destroy democracy.”
Popular Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker who is known for poking fun at Musk tweeted “Elon is now the founder of Twitter.”
Jane Manchun Wong, a tech blogger, similarly made a joke about Musk, saying Musk “built the first prototype of Twitter from his garage mid-April this year… Truly inspiring.”
CJ Pearson, a conservative activist based in the US, criticized “The Left’s” reaction to the news, and asked, “Why are Democrats so AFRAID of free speech?”
One user called for Musk to allow former US President Donald Trump to return to the platform, stating “Musk is a freedom-loving man.”
Another referenced the $44 billion Musk is paying for the platform to call out wealth inequality.
American politician Tom Nelson took this moment to call out wealth inequality, claiming billionaires “don’t pay their fair share of taxes and use their cash to play political games.”
American comedian River Butcher pointed people’s attention to Musk’s proposition to “end world hunger.” Instead of doing that, “he bought Twitter for $44 billion instead,” Butcher wrote.
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