General Meeting: The Twitter Takeover Hammad Iqbal on December 2, 2022 Elon Musk has recently taken ownership of Twitter, and thus, the social media platform has entered a new era... New changes have been made to Twitter in both its features and culture, from Elon Musk's emphasis on "free speech" to the new meaning of the blue checkmark on a user's account. What are your thoughts about this transition in leadership over Twitter? Do you think Twitter has changed for better or for worse? Share your thoughts and hear what others have to say at GDSC's November General Meeting! This event is open to students in all years and from all programs!

1. Twitter?
How do you feel about

2. What do you know about the
recent events involving Elon Musk
and Twitter?

3. Brief Timeline

4. May
● Bots? Spam?? On Twitter???
Elon Musk needs to know!
● The deal is on hold…
April
● Elon Musk “offers to buy Twitter at
$54.20 per share, valuing the
company at about $43 billion” (ABC)
● April 25: Twitter accepts the deal
July
● Elon Musk wants to end the deal
because of bots and spam
● Twitter sues Elon Musk
○ The trial is set for October…
October
● October 4: in the end, Musk decides to
acquire Twitter with the same offer
● October 28: the deal is complete, the
day before the trial
● Fired some top execs like the CEO
November
● Layoffs begin: "Today is your last
working day at the company"
○ 3,700 people laid off
● Twitter Blue begins

5. Who uses Twitter?
Why do you use Twitter?
How often do you use Twitter?

6. Do you think Elon Musk’s
acquisition of Twitter improved the
platform or made it worse?

7. How do you feel about Elon
reinstating controversial accounts?
(eg. Trump, Andrew Tate, Kanye West)

8. Should Kanye be banned under
Musk’s “absolutist” ideology of
free speech?

9. How do you feel about Elon trying
to ‘cancel Cancel Culture’?

10. What are your thoughts about the
Twitter Blue subscription?
(i.e. buying verification check marks such as the Eli Lilly and Company insulin
incident)

11. How do you think Musk's takeover
will impact the right-wing social
media app market?

12. How do you think Musk's takeover
will impact the left-wing social
media app market?

13. Do you think Elon’s Twitter
takeover could have been less
volatile if his stance on freedom of
speech was not this strong?

14. Do you think Twitter’s popularity
will increase/decrease?

15. Will you still continue to use
Twitter or start using it now?