Elon Musk has continued to make headlines in recent weeks. From making a gesture perceived as a “Nazi salute” at Donald Trump’s inauguration to having to deny a “hostile takeover” of the US Government in a surprise White House visit yesterday, February 11.
The world’s richest man and CEO of Tesla has often been in the news in the last few years, but his media presence appears to have increased since he bought social media website Twitter in October 2022, after starting the process that April.
He said at the time that he wanted to buy the site because he thought it was not living up to its potential as a platform for “free speech”. The billionaire said Twitter needed to be transformed into a private company in order to build trust with users and do better at serving the “societal imperative” of free speech.
However, when the site’s first ‘transparency report’ was released in 2024, it showed that account suspensions had tripled following Musk’s takeover, despite his free speech vow. High profile celebrities and big name brands have also left the site, citing a rise in “misinformation” and a huge increase in “bots”, according to Rolling Stone.
So, two-and-a-half years after the acquisition, what has changed about Twitter since Musk acquired the platform? And how much did he buy the social media site for?
Here’s everything you need to know about Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover.
Name change to X
Twitter rebranded to X on July 23, 2023, now under the private ownership of Elon Musk. The social media platform’s domain name was changed from twitter.com to x.com on May 17, 2024.
Musk also changed the site’s logo from a blue bird to a black and white ‘X’. The CEO has a history of using the letter X in his projects, including his first start-up, X.com, which later became PayPal.
The rebrand was deemed “an active attempt to look more evil” as users responded to Elon Musk’s decision to rename the platform “X” at the time. The rebrand also may not have had the effect Musk had hoped, with many people still calling the site by its original name.
Other changes Musk made to Twitter
As well as the rebrand, Musk scrapped the previous verification process for Twitter. While having the signature blue tick on your Twitter profile was previously reserved for celebrities and influencers of a certain following, the site’s new owner introduced a subscription fee to acquire verification.
And users weren’t happy. Actor William Shatner tweeted: “Hey @elonmusk what’s this about blue checks going away unless we pay Twitter? I’ve been here for 15 years giving my [time] & witty thoughts all for bupkis. Now you’re telling me that I have to pay for something you gave me for free? What is this-the Columbia Records & Tape Club?”
Profiles can now also join Twitter Verified Organisations for “all types – businesses, non-profits and government institutions – to sign up and manage their verification and to affiliate and verify any related account” for £950 a month.
Musk also added features like long-form texts, audio-video calls, and job search. He reportedly also fired masses of employees and altered the app’s moderation policies, changing how the site handles political misinformation, reported the BBC.
How much did Elon Musk buy Twitter for?
Musk first proposed the idea of buying Twitter in April 2022, and by October, the deal had been sealed.
The multi-billionaire and richest man on Earth bought the site for $44billion, or around £38.1billion. As of 2025, the CEO’s net worth has reached $391.3billion, meaning the colossal sum he paid for Twitter was just over 11 per cent of his current wealth.