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Elon Musk fires top Twitter executives including CEO after completing $44 billion takeover

Elon Musk's headshot

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Elon Musk now has control of Twitter - and has already fired several top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal.

The Tesla billionaire is yet to make a statement, but tweeted “the bird is freed”.

The other departures include CFO Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust, and safety.

READ MORE: TWITTER STAFF RAISE FEARS OVER BEING “PAWNS IN A GAME BEING PLAYED BY BILLIONAIRES”

The reported layoffs come after Musk announced plans to cut nearly 75 percent of Twitter's workforce to reduce the company's debt.

Musk later denied those reports, telling staff he would not sack such a large number of employees.

However, there was some uncertainty surrounding the deal on the night of Thursday, October 27, with neither Twitter nor Musk immediately verifying the dismissals.

READ MORE: TWITTER WILL NOT CARRY OUT MASS LAYOFFS AFTER $44 BILLION ELON MUSK TAKEOVER

Musk, who had previously updated his Twitter bio to "Chief Twit," made no mention of the terminations after the news broke.

The takeover raises a number of questions over Musk's intentions for a platform that plays an inordinate role in the political and media landscapes.

Musk made a visit to the company's headquarters in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 26, carrying a sink and meeting with employees.

READ MORE: ELON MUSK PLANS FOR MASSIVE JOB CUTS ON TWITTER

He has asserted that he is buying the company "to try to help humanity."

He said: “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 debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.”

The move gives the world's richest person control of a powerful social media platform with over 230 million users.

READ MORE: ELON MUSK ADMITS OVERPAYING FOR TWITTER BUT STILL “EXCITED”

Musk attempted to back out of a deal to acquire the company in May, which started a months-long standoff that was about to go to trial before Musk made a major U-turn and offered to buy the firm instead.

Musk became mired in a conflict with the corporation over the number of spam accounts on its platform, prompting him to proclaim his pullout from the deal in July.

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Twitter then charged Musk in a Delaware court, where the company is incorporated, to force him to complete the transaction.

Following Musk's unexpected change of heart, as a court date approached, a Delaware judge gave both parties until October 28 to finish the deal.

Throughout the conflict, Musk frequently butted heads with senior Twitter executives, including Agrawal and Gadde.

Despite internal turmoil and low morale caused by fears of layoffs or the tearing down of the company's culture and operations, Twitter leaders have at least publicly welcomed Musk's arrival and messaging this week.

Source: The Guardian

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