The maverick entrepreneur is a prolific user and outspoken critic of Twitter, where he has more than 83 million followers and regularly posts memes, boosts his companies Tesla and SpaceX, and squabbles with critics. 'Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,' he said in Monday's announcement.
Musk has vowed to 'unlock' Twitter's potential by loosening what he sees as unfair restrictions on free speech. The agreement comes less than two weeks after Musk first offered to buy Twitter, sending the company's board and management into crisis mode as they scrambled to figure out whether Musk was serious and whether his offer fairly valued the company. Musk will pay about $44 billion, or $54.20 a share, to take the social media company private, according to an announcement from Twitter. Twitter has struck a deal with Elon Musk, handing the world's richest man control of a social network that has far-reaching influence on politics and society.
Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO, speaks at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing 'cyber rodeo' grand opening party in Austin, Texas on April 7.
