The story up to now • TechCrunch

Good morning, Elon Musk owns Twitter. We knew it was going to occur (apart from the half the place Elon fought it tooth and nail) however it’s actual now, so let’s catch you up on the whirlwind that was the brand new “Chief Twit’s” ascension.

The week’s festivities kicked off with Elon Musk paying a go to to Twitter HQ, on what we now know was the eve of the official deal shut. He used the event to make an admittedly kinda humorous visible pun in regards to the phrase “let that sink in,” however carrying a sink and actually having Twitter let him and that sink in.

Whimsical chaotic vitality is certainly Musk’s robust go well with so that is anticipated conduct, even if you happen to can’t think about another execs — like, say, Tim Cook dinner, for instance — carrying massive porcelain objects into workplace lobbies to announce an acquisition shut.

On the heels of a report that some advertisers would possibly boycott Twitter ought to Elon elevate Donald Trump’s everlasting ban, the Muskie posts an prolong missive to advertisers attempting to elucidate his logic (“I did it to attempt to assist humanity, whom I like” is beautiful) and ends by assuring them it gained’t “grow to be a free-for-all hellscape” beneath his rule.

Bucking the odds-makers, Elon doesn’t reveal the deal shut at 4:20 PM PT, however as a substitute the information first trickles out then hits like a wave with near-simultaneous reviews throughout all main retailers on Thursday at round 6 PM PT.

Which means he beat the deadline set upon him by Delaware Chancery Court docket Decide Kathaleen McCormick, which was as we speak, October 28. The deadline resulted from the courtroom case that resulted from Elon attempting to wriggle out of the deal — through which he floated a number of defenses as an try and get out of his $44 billion dedication.

Picture Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Photographs (collage by TechCrunch) / Getty Photographs

Musk wasted no time clearing home when he received in: He fired CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Regal, common counsel Sean Edgett and head of authorized, belief and security Vijaya Gadde principally on the identical time he was formally handed the keys.

Clearly, there was no love misplaced between Musk and Agrawal. And he’d beforehand been criticized for posting criticism of Gadde that primarily received her focused by his sycophantic troll military. Plus, for the Twitter high authorized brass, I wager he wasn’t feeling too nice about that little bit of litigation the deal closing helped him escape.

Studies early on this course of indicated Elon would possibly need to set himself up as Twitter’s subsequent chief govt — including a 3rd (fourth? who is aware of) CEO title to his present LinkedIn profile. That appears to be the case, as reviews simply following the deal say he’ll put himself within the energy spot.

It does appear to be he’s going to be doing that as a short lived measure till he figures out who ought to occupy the seat long-term. Possibly one of many cronies who had been cozying as much as him within the message historical past revealed throughout the Twitter litigation’s discovery course of will get the nod.

It’s official: Twitter will delist from the New York Inventory Trade on November 8. That can formally finish its tenure as a public firm, which started with its IPO in November 2013.

Musk is taking it personal by way of his financing automobile X Holdings I, Inc. which is now sole proprietor of the corporate in its entirety.

Elon’s first official acknowledgement on Twitter of his new toy post-deal shut was a tweet studying merely “the chicken is freed.” This was rapidly rejoined by European Fee Web Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, who responded with a reminder that freedom isn’t free.

Notably, Breton has beforehand met with Musk in particular person and even recorded a video through which he says that he defined to Musk the EU’s Digital Companies Act, and through which Musk principally says he’s aligned to every part it comprises.

8. Elon discourses with some trolls

Musk hasn’t stated all that a lot because the takeover on Twitter, however he has replied to a few customers who’ve complained about platform censorship up to now. One is a consumer referred to as “catturd2” who claims he’s shadowbanned and who tweets COVID misinformation amongst different issues. The other is Canada Proud, a right-wing propagandist group that additionally spreads COVID misinfo and focuses on attacking Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

That’s the story up to now, however there’s going to be loads extra so keep tuned. We’ll replace this submit as extra develops all through the day and past.