logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
18m 24s

Elon Musk's X: The Twitter takeover a ye...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

After many months of news headlines about whether Elon Musk was going to buy Twitter, he eventually completed the purchase on 27 October 2022.

Since then, the company’s been through some big changes; laying off most of its 8000 employees, a rebrand to ‘X’, and reinstating some previously banned accounts on the platform.

Mr Musk describes himself a free speech absolutist and says he bought Twitter – now called X - to create a space where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.” However, the company’s faced criticism over lax content moderation, leading to advertisers halting ads on the service. He hopes to boost revenue by making the site a paid-for platform, setting himself some ambitious financial targets.

In this episode, Sam Fenwick speaks to former employees, business owners and journalists to get a picture of what has happened at X since Elon Musk took over.

(Picture: Elon Musk next to a logo for X - formerly known as Twitter. Credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Produced by Amber Mehmood and Hannah Mullane

Up next
Today
How is the world feeling the impact of rising oil prices?
Ever since the US and Israel began their war against Iran, economies around the world have been coping with the impacts of energy prices and food security.South Korea has introduced an energy price cap, universities have closed in Bangladesh and India has been granted access to s ... Show More
18m 48s
Yesterday
Kidnapping for ransom
We look at the rising threat of kidnap for ransom. In West Africa, it's a growing criminal industry.But how should any of us respond if or when the worst happens to us and a loved one is taken?If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co. ... Show More
17m 28s
Mar 10
Why are more people suing businesses?
From humble beginnings in England in the 12th century, to landmark civil rights court cases in the US in the 1960s, class actions are now rarely out of the headlines.They’re a means of bringing together large groups of people – sometimes millions – under the umbrella of a collect ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2022
Elon Musk’s vision for Twitter
tail spinning
20m 56s
Apr 2022
Elon Musk is set to own our ‘digital town square’
<p>Elon Musk has agreed to buy Twitter, the social media platform for US$44-billion on Monday, just a week after the company’s board tried to block the takeover.</p><p>The Globe’s technology reporter,<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/temur-durrani/"> Temur Durrani< ... Show More
16m 21s
Apr 2023
Introducing: Flipping the Bird: Elon vs. Twitter
When Elon Musk posted a video of himself arriving at Twitter HQ carrying a white sink along with the message “let that sink in!” it marked the end of a dramatic takeover. Musk had gone from Twitter critic to “Chief Twit” in the space of just a few months but his arrival didn’t pu ... Show More
3m 30s
Oct 2022
Musk is Twitter's new CEO
It's official. Elon Musk has closed his deal to buy social media platform Twitter after six months of negotiations. Hear the moment it was announced live on the BBC's Business Matters. Elsewhere in the programme: unexpected GPD in the US growth has exceeded analysts’ expectations ... Show More
50m 39s