Elon Musk first moved to buy Twitter back in April. On Oct. 27, he successfully purchased the platform for $44 billion. Immediately after the deal closed, he fired at least four executives, including the chief execute and the chief financial officer, per The New York Times, and set off a chain reaction of changes across the platform.
“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” Musk tweeted in a note addressed to advertisers shared after the acquisition went through. “There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.”
In a since-deleted tweet shared days later, Musk retweeted an anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi, who was attacked at his and Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home on Oct. 28. In a response to a post from Hillary Clinton, Musk shared an article promoting a conspiracy theory from the Santa Monica Observer, a right-wing website that has platformed conspiracy theories in the past – even sharing an article suggesting that Clinton herself had died in 9/11 and was replaced by a lookalike, per the Associated Press.
Musk, who has a net worth of $203 billion, per Time Magazine, is the world’s richest man, according to Forbes. He has promised to loosen Twitter’s content moderation guidelines, per The New York Times, and has also said he would allow banned users back onto the platform, though he has not clarified exactly who that might include.
Musk inherits a Twitter plagued by challenges, bots, harassment, and political actors. A Nov. 1 report by the Election Integrity Partnership identified six networks linked to China and Iran that had been attempting to sway users ahead of the midterm elections. One of the networks linked to China was found to share popular right-wing talking points, which is far from an isolated incident. Twitter has taken significant steps to moderate its content in recent years, but Musk’s recent comments could turn back those changes.
Shortly after he took over, Musk fired over 3,000 employees, though he has since attempted to rehire some of them, per Bloomberg. In response to his acquisition, many Twitter employees, celebrities, and public figures have chosen to exit the platform. Read on to check out who’s hit delete on a Musk-owned Twitter.
Getty / Taylor Hill
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid left Twitter on Oct. 5, taking to Instagram to explain why. “I deactivated my Twitter account today,” she wrote in an Instagram Story, per People. “For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it’s becoming more and more of a cesspool of hate & bigotry, and its not a place I want to be a part of.” She added, “Only sorry to the fans, who I’ve loved connecting with for a decade via Twitter, but I can’t say it’s a safe place for anyone, nor a social platform that will do more good than harm.”
Getty / John Phillips
Shonda Rhimes
“Bridgerton” creator Shonda Rhimes left Twitter on Oct. 29, writing, “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.”
Getty / John Lamparski
Sara Bareilles
Singer Sara Bareilles left the platform on Oct. 29, writing, “Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out. See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me.”
Getty / Steve Granitz
Toni Braxton
In her tweet about her decision to exit the platform, Toni Braxton wrote, “I’m shocked and appalled at some of the ‘free speech’ I’ve seen on this platform since its acquisition. Hate speech under the veil of ‘free speech’ is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC.”
Getty / Noam Galai
Mick Foley
Retired professional wrestler Mick Foley took to Facebook to announce his departure. “I decided I needed a @twitter break, since the new ownership – and the misinformation and hate it seems to be encouraging – has my stomach in a knot,” he wrote. “I really do enjoy connecting with all of you on social media, but it can get overwhelming sometimes. I think I’ll be back on in a few weeks, but in the meantime, I will continue to post on Facebook and Instagram. I hope all of you will be kind to one another. Please vote if you can too – our democracy seems to be hanging on by a thread.”
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Téa Leoni
“Hi everyone. I’m coming off Twitter today – let’s see where we are when the dust settles,” “Madame Secretary” star Téa Leoni wrote in an Oct. 29 Twitter post before deactivating her account, according to Deadline. “Today the dust has revealed too much hate, too much in the wrong direction. Love, kindness, and possibilities for all of you, thank you.”
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Ken Olin
The actor and director left the platform with a final tweet asking people to be kind. “Hey all – I’m out of here. No judgement,” he wrote. “Let’s keep the faith. Let’s protect our democracy. Let’s try to be kinder. Let’s try to save the planet. Let’s try to be more generous. Let’s look to find peace in the world. ?”
Getty / Garrett Ellwood
LeBron James
LeBron James hasn’t left the platform, but he did express his worries about Musk’s takeover. “I dont know Elon Musk and, tbh, I could care less who owns twitter,” he wrote in response to an article that found that the use of the N-word increased on the platform by over 50% when Musk took over. “But I will say that if this is true, I hope he and his people take this very seriously because this is scary AF. So many damn unfit people saying hate speech is free speech.”
