Twitter execs exit as Musk buy looms

SAN FRANCISCO

Twitter confirmed on May 12 that two senior executives are heading for the exit and it has paused most hiring, as Elon Musk stands poised to become the global messaging platform’s new owner.

Kayvon Beykpour, a general manager who leads research, design and engineering at Twitter, is leaving along with head of products Bruce Falck, a Twitter spokesperson told AFP.

Beykpour however said he was ousted from the San Francisco-based tech company.
“The truth is that this isn’t how and when I imagined leaving Twitter, and this wasn’t my decision,” Beykpour, who is on paternity leave, said in a tweet.

Twitter chief Parag Agrawal “asked me to leave after letting me know that he wants to take the team in a different direction,” he added.

Twitter also confirmed that, effective this week, it is pausing all hiring except for business-critical roles.

Musk’s $44-billion deal to buy Twitter was announced last month but still needs the backing of shareholders and regulators.
The takeover is expected to close later in 2022, with Musk, who runs space exploration endeavor SpaceX and electric automaker Tesla, stepping in as its boss at least for a little while.

Musk is on record saying he would lift the ban Twitter slapped on Donald Trump, contending that kicking the former U.S. president off the platform “alienated a large part of the country.”

Musk’s endorsement of a Trump return triggered fears among activists that Musk would “open the floodgates of hate.”
Activist groups have called on Twitter advertisers to boycott the service if it opens the gates to abusive and misinformative posts with Musk as its owner.