On Monday, Elon Musk closed a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion in cash, a transaction that could have far reaching consequences for one of the largest social media platforms in the world.
While the notoriously thin-skinned Musk is touting the move as a step toward protecting free speech, many in the Twittersphere are hesitant about what the move could mean for the future of the platform and freedom of speech in general.
Within a few hours, "Goodbye" began trending as users tweeted their discontent and vowed to leave the site, while "Discord" began trending as a social media alternative.
Here communicators weigh in on the buyout and the future of Twitter.
Brandon Borrman, head of communications at Alchemy, tweeted support for current Twitter employees' jobs and suggested decentralizing company ownership.
The smartest, most passionate people I've ever worked with were at Twitter. They did the work because they cared, the jobs were largely thankless. It would be good for the new leaders to recognize that and do everything they can to keep that talent.
— Brandon (@bborrman) April 25, 2022
If you don't like individuals owning things like newspapers or communications platforms, you need to support decentralization.
— Brandon (@bborrman) April 25, 2022
Other communicators took a light-hearted approach to the matter, with Ross Wallenstein, founder and CEO of WalltoWall Communications, inquiring whether loyal Twitter users get to go to space and posting a poll of his followers to see who is staying.
Now everyone who keeps their Twitter accounts gets to go to space, right?
— Ross M. Wallenstein (@RossWallenstein) April 25, 2022
With @elonmusk buying this place, will you leave the platform (as I have already seen a few prominent people do)? #Twitter #ElonMusk
— Ross M. Wallenstein (@RossWallenstein) April 25, 2022
Dan Rodriquez, principal at MGR Group, posted on LinkedIn to speculate about the future of Twitter's board of directors and whether the company would go private like Musk had previously alluded to.
Speculation continued on the feed of senior NBC News reporter Ben Collins, who likened Twitter's future to the extremist sites he covers daily, going beyond the potential future racism and bigotry to warn of the deterioration of the user experience.
There are plenty of models for where this site is likely headed. I'm on those sites all day. I cover extremism and lies for a living. You're not gonna like it.
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) April 25, 2022
