"The Bird Is Free." Says Elon Musk As He Takes Over Tweeter

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk has closed a $44bn deal to take over ownership of social media service, Twitter.

Confirming the takeover, Musk tweeted “the bird is freed”.

In an earlier tweet where he addressed Twitter advertisers explaining why he is acquiring the app, Musk said, “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.”

He added, “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 the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost,” Musk said.

Musk, however, warned that even though he wants to make the app a free space, “Twitter cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said without consequences”.