Elon Musk is now the owner of Twitter (Credits: AP)
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has confirmed his on-again, off-again deal to buy Twitter has gone through.
The billionaire boss of SpaceX and Tesla has been visiting Twitter this week ahead of the deadline for the $44 billion (£39 billion) deal to close tomorrow.
The CEO then sent a tweet to advertisers this morning, confirming the buyout.
‘Dear Twitter Advertisers, I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation in acquiring Twitter,’ he wrote.
‘There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it is wrong.’
He then explained he has acquired the company ‘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.’
Musk’s initial bid to take over Twitter surfaced in April after it was suggested he would join the company’s board. He later backtracked over concerns there were too many spam accounts on the platform.
However, following legal action from Twitter, he was forced to follow through with the deal or risk a public trial.
Now, it seems, the takeover is complete.
Twitter currently employs around 2,500 staff – many of whom have been unsure about Musk’s takeover. The entrepreneur has routinely said he wants to cut the workforce to curb costs and make Twitter more profitable.
Expanding on his reasons for buying the social media firm, Musk said: ‘I didn’t do it to help make more money. I did it to try and help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that faliure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.
‘That said, Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences! In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature.’
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The world’s richest man now owns one of the world’s biggest social networks.