MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

From Jeff Bezos's barb to Jameela Jamil's tantrum, celebs react to Elon Musk buying Twitter

Jeff Bezos wondered if Elon Musk's Twitter-takeover would give China more influence over the platform

Elon Musk has finally reached an agreement to acquire Twitter for approximately $44 billion, but the deal struck on Monday, April 25, has sparked confusion and doubt among people, and users on the Internet are not the only ones. Many celebrities have spoken up after it was announced that Musk would be taking over the popular social media platform.

"Twitter today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, for $54.20 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, Twitter will become a privately held company," reads the official release. Parag Agrawal, Twitter's CEO, said, "Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important."

READ MORE

'Is Twitter dying?': Elon Musk calls out Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift for rarely tweeting

Elon Musk seizes control of Twitter for $44B, Internet says 'he could've been less annoying'

Bret Taylor, Twitter's Independent Board Chair, added, "The Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon's proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing. The proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitter's stockholders."

Musk said, "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spambots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it."

"I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means," Musk tweeted. He further posted a screenshot of the press release with the caption, "[rocket emoji] [shooting star emoji] [heart emoji] Yesss!!! [heart emoji] [shooting star emoji] [rocket emoji]." 

Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos questioned whether Musk could be making Twitter vulnerable to pressure from China, as a result of Musk's extensive business liabilities in the Asian nation. "Interesting question. Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square? My own answer to this question is probably not. The more likely outcome in this regard is complexity in China for Tesla, rather than censorship at Twitter. But we'll see. Musk is extremely good at navigating this kind of complexity," he tweeted.

English actress and activist Jameela Jamil also took to Twitter to state that she would no longer be tweeting because of Musk's purchase of the platform. "Ah he got twitter. I would like this to be my what lies here as my last tweet. Just really *any* excuse to show pics of Barold. I fear this free speech bid is going to help this hell platform reach its final form of totally lawless hate, bigotry, and misogyny. Best of luck. [red heart emoji]."

American actor Rob Reiner asked whether Musk's takeover of Twitter meant Donald Trump, the problematic and controversial former president of the US, would be allowed back on the platform. "Now that Elon Musk is buying Twitter, the question for all of us is: Will he allow a Criminal who used this platform to lie and spread disinformation to try to overthrow the US Government to return and continue his Criminal activity? And if he does, how do we combat it?" he questioned. Trump was banned by Twitter in January 2021 after being accused of stoking the Capitol riot.

"I am sitting with my thoughts and watching, and haven’t decided if I am staying here. I have a huge philosophical issue knowing whatever content I provide here goes directly towards enriching one man, who I think is absolutely awful. Watching. His platform is hemorrhaging users. People need to understand that this is no longer a public company. Every post you make here is free content to enrich one man, Elon Musk. He is completely in control and answers to no one. I don’t view him as a mentally stable person," wrote podcast host Amy Siskind.

"Translation: if his worst critics leave, Twitter will be as worthless as Gab, Gettr (lol) and Truth Social. He needs y'all to stay on here so his 'free speech' people can harass you for fun. Because dude does not ALWAYS believe in free speech..." tweeted MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid. "Tumblr? Are we all heading back to Tumblr?" joked author Akilah Hughes.

"Will we now get the edit tweet option?" asked American musician Kevin Jonas. "Was there nothing better to do with 44 billion dollars?" questioned Canadian actor Simu Liu. "I'm not going anywhere. Should this place become more toxic, I pledge to strive even harder to lift up reason, science, compassion and the rule of law. The struggle against fascism, misinformation, and hate requires tough fighters. I hope you stay in the fight, right beside me," tweeted American actor George Takei.

"It would kinda dope if Musk bought Twitter and just shut it off... Lol," joked rapper Ice-T, and then added, "If getting OFF Social Media would RUIN your life... You Truly need to recalibrate your Priorities.. Just sayin." Rapper Ice Cube joked, "Free at last! @elonmusk take off my shadow ban homie..." Host and producer Dave Smith tweeted, "This exchange continues to haunt me."