Advertisers May Pull Ads if Trump Returns

Advertisers reportedly plan to boycott Twitter if Elon Musk allows former President Donald Trump back on the platform.

Kieley Taylor, the global head of partnerships at advertising agency GroupM, told the Wall Street Journal that about a dozen of the agency's clients asked to pause their ads on Twitter if Trump tweets again.

"That doesn't mean that we won't be entertaining lots of emails and phone calls as soon as a transaction goes through," Taylor told the Journal. "I anticipate we'll be busy."

She expects more to be in contact if Trump account ban is lifted.

Parler CEO Releases Statement, 'Elon Paid Up'

Parler CEO George Farmer released a statement after Elon Musk completed his $44 billion purchase of Twitter questioning whether Musk might have been better off joining Parler.

"After an arduous and drawn-out process full of lawsuits, rumors, and a narrow escape from a full-blown trial, Elon paid up," Farmer's Friday statement began.

Musk is reported to have fired Twitter's top executives shortly after the sale went through on Thursday. Farmer, who has led Parler as the social media platform's CEO since May 2021, mentioned that Musk "began cleaning house" right away and said it is too soon to tell "what more Musk will make of his ambitious goals for the company." Even so, "one thing is for certain," Farmer said.

"It appears free speech isn't so free after all," Farmer's statement said. "At least for Musk, it comes with a significant cost. In his attempt to make Twitter a freewheeling platform, he's paid a significant price."

Farmer then said his social media platform has "always believed that free speech is priceless and invaluable."

"Perhaps Musk might soon realize he could have saved his $44 billion and joined Parler, where free speech is actually free and where our users have experienced true freedom of expression since day one," Farmer added.

Farmer then said his company is "eager to see how things pan out" at Twitter and that, while they welcome Twitter under Musk as an "ally" in the debate over free speech, they "won't let" Twitter's new ownership get in the way of Parler creating "a truly uncancelable ecosystem."

Ye's Account Restored 'Before Acquisition,' Musk Says

Twitter did not "consult" or "inform" Elon Musk before restoring rapper Kanye West's account, the owner of the new social media platform said Friday.

West, known as Ye, was suspended from Twitter and Meta platforms earlier this month for writing anti-Semitic posts. His account was back online Friday. Musk, who reportedly closed the $44 billion deal Thursday, said the decision to restore Ye's account was made "before the acquisition."

"They did not consult with or inform me," Musk tweeted Friday.

Musk's response was part of a Twitter thread following his announcement that the platform would form a diverse "content moderation council."

"No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes," Musk said.

Confusion Over Twitter Layoffs Continue

There is some dispute over claims by Twitter employees who told media outside of Twitter's San Francisco headquarters that they've been laid off.

CNBC reported that an entire team of data engineers were let go Friday after speaking to a few people outside the building.

The reporters, however, noted some questions that have been raised about the men's employee status.

Some reporters said the people outside the building were part of a hoax and were not laid off Twitter staffers.

CNBC's Deirdre Bosa said she is trying to verify who the men she interviewed outside Twitter's office.

"Confusion reigns outside Twitter HQ," Bosa said in a tweet. "Are people being let go? Are they trolling the media? Unfortunately [Twitter corporate communications] isn't returning calls."

After interviewing a man who said he'd worked for Twitter for six years, CNBC's Yasmin Khorram said she asked someone at the front desk of the office.

"They wouldn't comment but told me 'I've never seen those 2 guys,'" Khorram said.

Twitter to Form Content Moderation Council

Elon Musk said suspended accounts will not be restored until a new "content moderation council" is formed.

"No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes," he said in a tweet.

Musk said the company will form this council with "widely diverse viewpoints."

This announcement comes as Twitter users speculate whether the permanent suspension of former President Donald Trump's Twitter account will be lifted.

This Age Group Trusts Social Media Most

Young adults in the U.S. are almost as likely to trust the information they see on social media as they are information shared by national news outlets, according to a survey released earlier this year by the Pew Research Center.

The nonpartisan think tank republished the results of its summer survey on Thursday with less than two weeks remaining until the midterm elections and as Elon Musk was finalizing his purchase of Twitter. Adults under 30 were more likely than adults in other age groups to say they have at least some trust in the information they find shared on social media.

According to the survey's results, half of all adults ages 18 to 29 say they "have some or a lot of trust" in information shared on social media, while nearly 56 percent said the same about national news outlets and 62 percent said they have at least some trust in local news outlets. In contrast, about 36 percent of adults ages 30 to 49 said they have at least some trust in information coming from social media, and 20 to 25 percent of older adults said the same. An average of 33 percent of all U.S. adults have at least partial trust in information taken from social media, pollsters said.

Older age groups are also more likely to trust local news outlets than national news organizations. Trust in both local and national news outlets has declined over the last six years, the poll said.

OJ Simpson Wants to Be Verified

O.J. Simpson shared a video Friday morning on Twitter congratulating Elon Musk for his recent purchase of the platform and speculating about whether Twitter's new ownership could help his account get verified.

"Let me start off the day by congratulating Elon Musk taking over Twitter," Simpson said in the video. "Maybe I can get authenticated. Maybe I can get a blue check."

Simpson tagged both Musk and Twitter's user verification arm in his post. He went on to say he has attempted "for years" to get his account verified and said there are "so many fake" accounts pretending to be him. The fact that his account is not verified by Twitter, coupled with the mass of fake Simpson accounts, mean he's often asked about statements or comments he didn't actually make.

"I'm sure a lot of people probably deal with that," Simpson said. "So maybe that will come to an end."

Some Twitter Users Report Losing Followers

Some Twitter users are reporting a drop in followers amid Elon Musk's takeover of the social media platform.

On Thursday night, independent journalist Aaron Rupar said he was "down about 400 followers since yesterday and I don't think my tweets have been especially bad."

"Perhaps the Elon Exodus is underway," he added.

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill replied, saying he was down over 1,500 followers in two days. In another tweet Friday, Hamill said he lost almost 6,000 followers in the last three days.

"Is it because of the new [Twitter] owner... or not posting enough cute animal videos lately?" he asked.

Even the Auschwitz Memorial Museum said it saw a loss of almost 2,500 followers from Thursday night.

Some Twitter accounts, however, said they have gained followers in recent days.

Some conservative accounts are speculating if an increase in followers mean Republicans are returning to the platform from Parlor or Truth Social, or if a new head of Twitter means shadow bans have been lifted.

Republican pundit Ben Shapiro said he gained over 40,000 followers in a few hours. He said this is "not a coincidence."

The Texas GOP Twitter said it has picked up "lots of new followers" since Musk took over the platform.

"Is the shadow ban over, or are Republicans coming back to the platform?" the account said in a tweet.

Russia Official Wishes Musk 'Luck'

Politicians from around the world commented Friday on Elon Musk's completed purchase of Twitter.

In one tweet, the former president of Russia weighed in on the sale.

"Good luck @elonmusk in overcoming political bias and ideological dictatorship on Twitter," wrote Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council. Medvedev then called on Musk to stop providing Ukraine with access to the satellite internet system Starlink as Russia's war with Ukraine continues.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also shared a statement on Twitter Friday about Musk's purchase of the company and about the "immensely important role" that he said Twitter has in modern politics.

"Any decision about allowing suspended users to return must be taken incredibly carefully & in direct consultation with experts in countering digital hate & misinformation," Khan wrote, alluding to comments Musk recently made about wanting to stop issuing lifelong bans for Twitter accounts. Musk also said earlier this year that he would reverse the permanent ban on former President Donald Trump's account if his purchase of Twitter were to go through.

If Trump is allowed to return, Twitter "should hold him accountable w/ clear and robust rules that the former President must sign up to—and those rules must be enforced," Khan wrote.

Khan's statement concluded by wishing both Musk and the company at large "success."

"As Twitter begins a new chapter, I wish Elon Musk and his team every success," Khan said. "The state of our democracy and civic life really do depend on it."

Kanye West Back on Twitter

Rapper Kanye West is reportedly back on Twitter after Elon Musk acquires the platform.

West, known as Ye, was suspended from Twitter and Meta platforms earlier this month for writing anti-Semitic posts.

In one post on Twitter, Ye said he would soon go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," making an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.

West, who has over 31 million Twitter followers, was suspended from Twitter for two years, On Oct. 8, 2022, West returned to the platform with a tweet blasting Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Musk replied, welcoming his "friend" back to Twitter.

Two days later, Musk tweeted that he "talked to Ye" after the rapper made anti-Semitic posts. Musk said he "expressed my concerns about his recent tweet, which I think he took to heart."

Trump May Soon Rejoin

Former President Donald Trump may soon be permitted to return to Twitter after he was banned from the platform in early 2021.

There is widespread speculation about the former president's possible return after Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, finalized his purchase of Twitter on Thursday. Musk said earlier this year that, if he were to purchase Twitter, he planned to reverse Trump's permanent ban. Trump was banned from Twitter following the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.

Musk also reportedly said earlier this week that he wants to stop issuing permanent bans from Twitter, according to Bloomberg.

Despite Musk's stated interest in reversing account bans, Trump has suggested that he would not be interested in returning to Twitter and preferred to stay on Truth Social, his own social media platform. Trump said in April that he is "going to be staying on Truth" and is "not going back to Twitter." He appeared to reiterate an intention to stay on Truth Social in a post on Friday.

Musk Bought Twitter to 'Help Humanity'

Ahead of Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, the Tesla CEO clarified his reasoning for buying the platform.

In a statement to Twitter advertisers, Musk said most of the speculation surrounding the deal "has been wrong."

He said he did not make this deal to make money, but to "try to help humanity."

"The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debates in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence," he said.

Musk said social media is in "great danger" of splintering into "far right wing and far left wing echo chambers" that "generate more hate and divide our society."

He said social media has fueled and catered to "polarized extremes" through a "relentless pursuit of clicks" that brings in money and dissolves dialogue.

Musk realizes, however, that the platform "cannot become a free-for-all hellscape" where "anything can be said with no consequences."

He ensured Twitter will be "warm and welcoming to all."

In terms of advertising, Musk wants it to ensure it is relevant to users' needs.

"Low relevancy ads are spam but highly relevant ads are actually content," he said.

Trump Says Twitter is in 'Sane Hands'

After Elon Musk acquired Twitter, there was much speculation that former President Donald Trump would return after being permanently banned from the platform.

Since then, Trump has migrated to Truth Social, a conservative social media platform "that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating on the basis of political ideology," according to the platform.

On Friday, after Musk official acquired Twitter, expressed his content with the move.

"I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country," he wrote.

Trump said the social media platform should now work to get rid of bots and fake accounts "that have hurt it so badly."

The former president also boasted on the success of Truth Social.

"TRUTH SOCIAL has become somewhat of a phenomena. Last week it had bigger numbers than all other platforms, including TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and the rest," he wrote. "It also looks and works better to my eye."

Trump's account was permanently suspended from Twitter in 2021 following his tweets amid the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.

"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence," Twitter said.

"In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action."

Around this time, several other accounts were suspended, prompting conservatives to accuse the platform of censorship and attacks free speech.

Musk Fires CEO, CFO, Legal Officer

Only one day after acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk has already taken steps to clean house at the social media platform.

Musk reportedly fired top Twitter executives, including chief executive officer Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal and general counsel and head of legal, policy, and trust Vijaya Gadde.

Gadde is credited with making the decision to permanently suspend former President Donald Trump from the platform, a move that angered conservatives.

Segal and Agrawal, who were in Twitter's San Francisco headquarters, were escorted out of the building when the deal was closed, Reuters reported.

Agrawal reportedly received a $42 million buyout.

Musk has previously clashed with Agrawal and criticized Gadde on suspending accounts, suppressing tweets and managing bots.

In a tweet, Segal said he was "grateful" for the opportunity to have worked for Twitter for five years.

"I have great hope for Twitter," he said. "At its best, it democratizes communication and knowledge, ensuring accountability and equal distribution of info. It's a huge responsibility for everyone that shares in the work. I wish them strength, wisdom, and foresight."

Biz Stone, who co-founded Twitter with Jack Dorsey, wrote a post on the platform thanking the three for their "collective contribution to Twitter," describing them as "massive talents, all, and beautiful humans each!"

Several Twitter employees expressed their surprise over Musk's move. After the deal went through, many took to Twitter to express their appreciation for their fellow employees.

Twitter's Global Head of Partners Lara Cohen wrote, "I love my colleagues so much."

On April 4, Cohen commented on the Tesla CEO's $44 billion bid to buy the company welcoming "our new overlord,"

Musk Completes $44 Billion Deal

Elon Musk has taken control of Twitter, completing a $44 billion deal to buy the social media platform.

Following months of back-and-forth, today was the deadline for the massive deal to close and avoid going to trial.

Late Thursday night, Musk tweeted "the bird is freed," and this morning wrote, "let the good times roll."