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SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk took control of Twitter late Thursday as his $44 billion deal to takeover the company closed.
As one of his first moves, he fired several top Twitter executives, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. One of those confirmed the deal had closed.
CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal, and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust, and safety, were all fired, according to the people. Sean Edgett , the company’s general counsel, was also pushed out, one of the people said.
Musk’s moves late Thursday signals his intentions to put his stamp firmly one of the world’s most influential social media companies. Musk has publicly criticized Twitter’s outgoing management over product decisions and content moderation.
The closure of the deal capped a months-long roller coaster saga in which the billionaire — the world’s richest man — conducted a hostile takeover to buy the company at an inflated price, only to renege on the deal and then enter into a bitter legal battle with the social network.
But in recent days, Musk appeared resigned, and even enthusiastic, about his impending ownership. He showed up at the company’s offices unexpectedly on Wednesday, carrying a sink to suggest that the message that he would become owner needed to “sink in,” according to a photo he posted to his more than 100 million Twitter followers.
The three top Twitter executives were hastily shuttled from the building, the people said.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Source by www.washingtonpost.com
