Just before midnight last Thursday, Elon Musk tweeted “the bird is freed.” The message confirmed once and for all that he’d finally, officially, really, actually purchased Twitter. It marked the end of a long saga during which Musk spent months trying to wriggle out of buying the company, leading to a public feud with Twitter and a multi-billion dollar lawsuit settled only when he agreed to close at his original $44 billion offer price. Musk, whose Twitter bio now reads “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator,” set to work.
Almost immediately, chaos ensued.
From revamping the app’s verification program, to firing top executives, to spurring rumors about massive layoffs at the company, Musk has dominated the news cycle over the last week. He generated headlines multiple times a day, drawing widespread criticism, speculation, and lots of celebratory online hate speech from admiring fans. Lest you forget, he’s also simultaneously the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company.
If you’re luckier than I am, you found better things to do than keep up with the news. But it’s been a wild ride. Here are the 11 craziest moments from Elon’s first week at Twitter.
Update: 11/4/2022 12:05 ET: This story has been updated with details about Twitter layoffs.
