BUSINESS
Elon Musk timeline as CEO of Twitter: Trump reinstated, BBC interview, blue tick controversy…
The billionaire’s short time as the CEO of Twitter has yielded massive changes, turning away users and advertisers alike while sacking thousands of staff.
Musk’s tumutltuous leadership of Twitter could be coming to an end. A new CEO has been announced, but whether that means Musk himself will no longer be pulling the strings remains to be seen.
So much has changed in one short year: legal troubles, hate speech, the return of Trump (in name only, just to name a few things. If Yaccarino’s reign is more eventful than Musk’s that will be some accomplishment.
Musk’s Twitter timeline
5 April, 2022: Musk says he has purchased a 9% stake in Twitter. He is offered a board seat but refuses and offers to buy Twitter stocks at $54.20 a share.
25 April, 2022: Twitter accepts Musk’s offer with the company bought for $44 billion.
13 May, 2022: The deal appears to be off as Musk announces that he is demanding futher information about the number of bot accounts on the site. Twitter says it intends to enforce the sale as prevously agreed.
13 July 2022: Twitter sues Musk to force him to buy the company.
6 August: 2022: Musk counter sues Twitter.
28 October, 2022: An agreement is found and Musk completes the deal.
5 November 2022: Advertisers begin to scale back Twitter purchases following surge in hate speech.
9 November 2022: First launch of Twitter Blue, the paid verification method. Slow death of old verification system begins. Launch farce causes a pause as people imitate celebrities and companies.
16 November, 2022: Email sent to employees demanding increased work or leave the company. Employees who criticise him are fired with 80 percent losing their jobs.
20 November, 2022: Donald Trump’s account is reinstated after a near-two year ban. Other accounts that were banned for hate speech or incitement of violence under the old terms of service are reinstated.
18 December 2022: Musk holds a vote to remove himself as CEO, which he loses.
13 April 2023: Musk is interviewed by the BBC and quizzed about his handling of Twiitter around a year after his initial bid.
20 April 2023: Legacy blue ticks are removed but Musk chooses to keep some celebrity accounts, notably those that criticised him, verified. Eventually media outlets are most accounts with at least a million followers have their verification restored, whether they are paying for Twitter blue or not.
12 May 2023: Musk is replaced as CEO by Linda Yaccarino.