KEY POINTS

  • Musk insisted that Twitter should be a platform for "healthy" debates
  • Twitter users believe he should first reinstate unreasonably banned accounts
  • Musk previously indicated that he might reinstate the former president's account

Twitter has been abuzz since Wednesday after Tesla CEO and now the owner of the micro-blogging platform, Elon Musk, walked into the San Francisco-based company's headquarters carrying a sink. Many users are calling on Musk to reinstate banned accounts, including that of former President Donald Trump.

"The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence," the SpaceX founder tweeted Thursday, addressing the advertisers on Twitter.

Banks started turning in their pledged funding for Musk's Twitter takeover on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported hours after Musk visited the headquarters.

On Thursday, Musk officially became Twitter's new owner and as part of his first day as "Chief Twit," the tech billionaire started firing top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Sagal, and chief of legal affairs and policy Vijaya Gadde, multiple outlets reported citing people with knowledge of the matter.

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Sources revealed that Segal and Agrawal were escorted out of the Twitter headquarters when the deal to acquire the social media platform for $44 billion was completed.

As other Twitter employees await their fates in the hands of the new owner, Twitter users are making suggestions on what Musk should do now that he owns the company. Many called on Musk to reinstate Trump's banned account, as well as the accounts of other people who they believe should not have been blocked.

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One user asked Musk to bring back not just Trump's account but also that of Andrew Tate. A British-American former kickboxer, Tate became a controversial figure for sharing his misogynistic beliefs on social media.

Commenting on a WSJ tweet about Musk's completion of the contentious takeover, one user said reinstating Trump's Twitter account is "the right thing to do."

American-Canadian commentator Steven Crowder asked Twitter users what they want Musk to implement first, and some users said they want to see suspended accounts back.

Another user said he would be "thrilled" if Musk restores Trump's account first.

Others were more concerned about the ban of users who they believe had their accounts suspended unreasonably.

Philanthropist and NASDAQ speaker Matthew Loop asked Musk to restore the accounts of "doctors and scientists" who were supposedly banned for "questioning the mainstream narrative and not subscribing to groupthink."

Swedish journalist Peter Imanuelsen asked for retweets regarding accounts that were "unfairly banned" and asked Musk to return his blue tick, which indicates a verified account. Imanuelsen said Twitter removed the blue mark after he reported on truckers protesting in Canada.

Many other users rallied to call for the reinstatement of accounts that were permanently suspended after using Twitter to speak up about their beliefs.

It is unclear if Musk will restore banned accounts, but he previously suggested that he might lift the ban on Trump's account, The Washington Post reported. The Post said Musk has yet to comment on the question of whether Trump's account will be reinstated.

Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account after the Jan. 6 capitol riot in 2021, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence."

Illustration shows Elon Musk photo and Twitter logo
Elon Musk is Twitter's new boss. Reuters