Elon Musk and Twitter's board on Monday agreed on a deal for the eccentric Tesla CEO to acquire the company at $54.20 per share in cash.
The marriage of the world's richest man and one of the most influential social media platforms — of which he is an active user -— has left questions about how the company will be run, what it means for American politics and the dissemination of information in general.
Here are five things we'll be watching as details of the company's new makeup become public:
1. Will banned users return?
Musk has laid out a more relaxed vision for content moderation that would lean toward temporary "timeouts" over permanent bans.
Advocacy groups are concerned that this switch could reverse Twitter's permanent bans on public figures and politicians — including former President Trump.
2. Leadership changes: While Musk and Twitter did agree on a deal for taking the company private on Monday, the purchase itself may take until the end of 2022 to wrap up while shareholders vote on the agreement and regulatory hurdles are cleared.
During that time, CEO Parag Agrawal and the independent board that approved the offer will remain in charge of Twitter.
3. How could the product change?: Major changes are likely to wait until the deal is completed.
Musk has given some hints to what those could look like beyond his commitment to "free speech."
4. Washington's ire: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are using Musk's takeover to fuel their respective battles against powerful tech companies.
Republicans are embracing Musk as an ally in their fight against "Big Tech."
5. How will Twitter's workers respond?: Twitter has long been known as one of the most open places to work in Silicon Valley.
Workers have been encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings on the platform for years. Many of them did just that Monday as news of the deal broke, expressing confusion and dismay.
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