Elon Musk Takes Control of Twitter, Fires CEO Parag Agrawal, Other Top Executives

In a move that places one of the leading platforms for international dialogue in the hands of the world's richest man, Elon Musk took control of Twitter and sacked its top executives, according to US media reports late Thursday. 

According to unnamed sources cited by the Washington Post and CNBC, Musk fired the company's chief executive officer, Parag Agrawal, as well as its chief financial officer and head of legal policy, trust, and safety.

In November, Agrawal took over as CEO when co-founder Jack Dorsey abruptly announced his resignation. Agrawal has been with Twitter for almost a decade, most recently serving as its chief technology officer. Musk's entry as a significant stakeholder and an outspoken critic of the company's current leadership, however, quickly ended Agrawal's tenure as CEO.

Musk's arrival made it obvious that Agrawal was not likely to be retained in his position. "I don’t have confidence in management, "In an early filing, Musk made comments about the deal, and the two CEOs then exchanged barbs in front of the public. In May, Elon Musk tweeted a faces emoji in response to Agrawal's Twitter thread defending the company's user metrics.

The two men engaged in a heated argument early in the deal process when Musk asked his followers whether Twitter was "dying," according to text messages unveiled during the lawsuit.

Agrawal confronted him over text. He wrote on April 9: "You are allowed to tweet 'is Twitter dying?' or anything else about Twitter, “but it’s my responsibility to tell you that it’s not helping me make Twitter better in the current context.” Musk fired back, “What did you get done this week?" And then: " I'm not joining the board; it's a waste of time", he continued.

According to a document, the CEO's unvested equity awards will completely vest as part of the agreement. Agrawal will not go away empty-handed. Research firm Equilar's estimated that he will make almost $42 million, according to Reuters.

Gadde has been in charge of establishing and enforcing standards for hundreds of millions of internet users, including famous users who are immune from stricter content restrictions under the company's exemptions for noteworthy posts or communications from world leaders. Musk has promised to make Twitter a less censorship-heavy platform for free speech after acquiring it, a change he has called "essential to a functioning democracy."