Social Media

CNBC reports: The Federal Trade Commission is closely watching Twitter’s moves under new owner Elon Musk, a spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. The agency struck a settlement with Twitter earlier, which granted it oversight of certain security and privacy practices at the company. “We are tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern,” an FTC spokesperson said in a …

The Verge reports: Two other top Twitter executives are leaving the company. Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of trust and safety, and Robin Wheeler, the head of ad sales, are both out. First reported by Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer and Casey Newton, the news was confirmed to The Verge’s Alex Heath by two people familiar with the matter. The two executives resigned, …

The Washington Post reports: Several top privacy and security executives resigned from Twitter on Thursday, citing fears over the risks from Elon Musk’s leadership, a stunning exodus that prompted federal regulators to warn they might step in. Chief Information Security Officer Lea Kissner tweeted Thursday morning that they had made the “hard decision” to resign, and the company’s chief privacy …

Reuters reports: Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk told advertisers on Wednesday he aimed to turn the social media platform into a force for truth and stop fake accounts in an effort to assuage brands and advertising agencies that have increasingly been backing away. Days after Twitter rattled users and advertisers by cutting half its staff, over 100,000 listeners tuned in …

CNN Business reports: Twitter appears to be battling a wave of celebrity and corporate impersonators on its platform who have quickly gamed the company’s new paid verification system, hours after its launch. The fake verified accounts had posed as former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Nintendo of America, the basketball player LeBron James, the software company Valve and others. The …

The Associated Press reports: Facebook parent Meta is laying off 11,000 people, about 13% of its workforce, as it contends with faltering revenue and broader tech industry woes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a letter to employees Wednesday. The job cuts come just a week after widespread layoffs at Twitter under its new owner, billionaire Elon Musk. There have been …

Bloomberg News reports: While Elon Musk tinkers with newly acquired Twitter, his net worth has dropped by almost half from last year’s peak. Shares of Tesla Inc., the electric car maker that comprises the bulk of his fortune, traded as low as $186.75 intraday Tuesday as investors question whether the billionaire is spreading himself too thin among his many high-profile …

The Verge reports: Twitter’s daily user growth hit “all-time highs” during the first full week of Elon Musk owning the platform, according to a company document obtained by The Verge. Since Musk’s dramatic takeover, Twitter’s monetizable daily user (mDAU) growth has accelerated to more than 20 percent, while “Twitter’s largest market, the US, is growing even more quickly,” according to …

Business Insider reports: Elon Musk could put Twitter behind a paywall and charge users a monthly fee to view tweets, according to a report from tech newsletter Platformer. A person familiar with the plans told Platformer that both Musk and one of his advisers, venture capitalist David Sacks, have discussed the idea in meetings in recent days. The potential change …

The New York Times reports: Meta plans to lay off employees this week, three people with knowledge of the situation said, adding that the job cuts were set to be the most significant at the company since it was founded in 2004. It was unclear how many people would be cut and in which departments, said the people, who declined …

The Hill reports: Twitter’s rules under new CEO Elon Musk published Monday do not include policies about misinformation. Musk said the rules will “evolve over time,” but as they stand Monday they appear to offer a more bare skeleton of safety policies than what existed before. The new rules do prohibit action such as the glorification of violence, promotion of …

Musk’s crusade to punish his critics continues: New Twitter boss Elon Musk has urged Americans to vote for Republican candidates in Tuesday’s midterm elections. It’s widely expected that the Republicans will seize control of the House of Representatives in tomorrow’s key ballot but the Senate, which has just 100 members, is thought to be on a knife-edge with several close …

CNBC reports: While Elon Musk complains publicly about advertisers abandoning Twitter due to activist pressure, a coalition of civil rights groups is escalating a call for brands to halt spending on the platform in light of what they see as inflammatory rhetoric and problematic policy changes from the company’s new owner. The coalition, dubbed #StopToxicTwitter, consists of organizations including Media …

The Insider reports: Twitter suspended comedian Kathy Griffin’s account on Sunday evening after she jokingly pretended to be Elon Musk on the platform and mocked him in several tweets. Griffin now joins a range of several celebrities and figures who had their Twitter handles suspended for parodying Musk. A week earlier, the billionaire had declared that “comedy is now legal …

Bloomberg News reports: Twitter Inc., after laying off roughly half the company on Friday following Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition, is now reaching out to dozens of employees who lost their jobs and asking them to return. Some of those who are being asked to return were laid off by mistake, according to two people familiar with the moves. Others …

Bloomberg News reports: Twitter Inc. has started giving users who sign up for $8 a month a verified check mark, days after owner Elon Musk floated the idea of a new verification system. “Power to the people,” Twitter said in the version notes for its latest update that was released Saturday. “Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like …

Yahoo News reports: As Twitter’s system for verifying that people really are who they say they are now requires a $7.99/month fee, celebrities who already had a blue checkmark, including “One Day at a Time” actress Valerie Bertinelli changed their names on the platform to “Elon Musk” as a subtle protest. Vanity Fair TV critic Sonia Saraiya also changed her …

CNN reports: In the week since Elon Musk took over Twitter, the number of people signing up for a small social network called Mastodon has surged. You may not have heard of Mastodon, which has been around since 2016, but now it’s growing rapidly. Some are fleeing Twitter for it or at least seeking out a second place to post …

The Daily Beast reports: Elon Musk is threatening to “name and shame” advertisers who have hit pause on Twitter while his takeover of the social media platform sows chaos. The idea, apparently, is that Musk’s fans would boycott those companies until they agree to start funneling ad bucks to Twitter again. The billionaire’s vow seems unlikely to calm corporate jitters …

The Insider reports: Elon Musk joked about overpaying for Twitter during a surprise appearance at a conference for wealthy people in New York City as his new social media company started mass layoffs. Speaking at the Baron Investment Conference, an annual extravaganza for well-heeled clients of Baron Capital, the billionaire entrepreneur admitted that he paid too much for the social …