Elon Musk’s tenure as CEO has been a rocky ride. photo courtesy of Getty images
With Elon Musk as the new CEO of Twitter, issues have emerged that could potentially ruin the reputation of the company.
Twitter, one of the world’s biggest social media platforms, has recently exploded into a black hole of drama and dangerous competition. Elon Musk took over as the new owner of Twitter in October of 2022. Since then, the company has started to crumble when it comes to employees and losing money, and 50 of its 100 advertisers have also broken off their business relationships.
Some of Twitter’s previous employees struggle to understand why Musk demanded such loyalty and determination from such a small job. Musk gave an ultimatum to all his employees, stating they must either work harder or leave the company. Because of his demand for harder work without recognition for work that was already done, many of Twitter’s employees have decided to cut ties with the corporation. On top of that, Musk publicly fired employees who criticized his work ethic and methods of running the company.
As Musk’s reign continues on the platform, he continues to make changes that hurt Twitter’s profit. One of these changes included a commitment to verifying more people. In the last few months, users could pay $7.99 monthly to get a blue checkmark next to their username. Rather than only celebrities or people with specific authenticity or noteworthy content, everyone could have the opportunity to feel famous. While the idea of inclusivity was likely in Musk’s mind, it created an uproar between celebrities and businesses. Some celebrities argued that Twitter Blue subscribers did not make significant contributions to their line of work. Not only did they lack the followers it takes to maintain that fame, but they also didn’t do the hard work it takes to get there in the first place. Another issue with the Twitter Blue subscription was people trying to impersonate companies, causing some of their stock values to plummet. After this uproar, Twitter will once again manually verify accounts, forcing the suspension of new Twitter Blue subscriptions. Now, instead of one blue verification check mark, there will be three based on the type of account. The gold check will signify companies, the blue will signify celebrities, and the gray will represent government officials or political groups.
Musk’s leadership continues to spark rage among users as the rules of Twitter gain traction and pursue more strict action against people criticizing the new CEO. One of the biggest controversies in the past month was Donald Trump’s Twitter ban being lifted. Lifting his ban created anger throughout the Twitter community because Trump’s hateful tweets made it difficult to maintain a safe platform where everyone could speak openly and freely. On top of this, almost no steps are being taken to prevent hateful comments directed toward vulnerable communities, even though inclusivity is said to be the most important goal of the platform. Not only is the spread of hateful posts more prevalent, but the broadcasting of fake news and misinformation is also at an all-time high on the platform with the reinstatement of many controversial figures.
As Elon Musk continues to make new adjustments to Twitter, users can assume there will be a decline in usage of the social media platform within the next few months. Twitter will not be able to function without sufficient employees or users. And without a team of people, it is nearly impossible to operate and better a company. Due to Elon Musk’s controversial leadership, Twitter will no longer meet the reputation it was once perceived to have.
