Johannesburg - Tech industry heavy-weights have applauded Elon Musk's completed transaction to purchase the social network Twitter.
The sale of Twitter has drawn mixed reactions globally. Despite this, sentiments from industry leaders and entrepreneurs remain seemingly positive.
Support for Musk's move came from some of the biggest industry role players, including Twitter's co-founder, Jack Dorsey.
Shortly after completion of the transaction, Jack en(Dorsey)ed the move, lauding Musk as the "singular solution" to his "biggest regret".
"Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step," Dorsey said in a tweet.
"In principle, I don't believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust," he later added.
The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both. Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.
— jack⚡️ (@jack) April 26, 2022
Twitter's CEO, Parag Agarwal, also threw his weight behind the deal, stating: "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."
Cameron Winklevoss, American tech entrepreneur and cryptocurrency investor, also took to the microblog to support Musk taking the helm of Twitter.
"Fate loves irony. The censors and "fact-checkers" did such a good job that they forced @elonmusk to step in and liberate it," Winklevoss said in a tweet.
Fate loves irony. The censors and "fact checkers" did such a good job that they forced @elonmusk to step in and liberate it.
— Cameron Winklevoss (@cameron) April 25, 2022
Adding to the list of entrepreneurs sharing views on the deal, billionaire Mark Cuban tweeted: “Twitter’s SMB marketing is brutal. They should be and could be doing a lot more. Will be interesting to see what @elonmusk does and what he cares about. He has some real interest expenses to pay.”
Twitter’s SMB marketing is brutal. They should be and could be doing a lot more. Will be interesting to see what @elonmusk does and what he cares about. He has some real interest expenses to pay. https://t.co/HwJOTz5UtV
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) April 25, 2022
Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos also reacted to Musk's $44 billion cash deal to buy the platform, asking if Twitter gives China "a bit of leverage over the town square".
He followed up his tweet, saying: "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 added.
Bezos' sentiments come as Twitter, among other social networks, is blocked in China. Despite this, Musk has critical business interests in the country. Chinese battery makers are significant suppliers for Musk's electric vehicle brand - Tesla. China is also Telsa's second-biggest market behind the US.
Interesting question. Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square? https://t.co/jTiEnabP6T
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 25, 2022
Meanwhile, one of the most controversial users of the platform, former US President Donald Trump, stated he wouldn't rejoin the social network after his exile from the 'Twitter free speech Promised Land' over a year ago.
In an interview with Fox News shortly after the transaction on Monday, Trump said: "I am not going on Twitter. I am going to stay on TRUTH."
Despite his comment, Trump showed support for Musk, adding: "I hope Elon buys Twitter because he'll make improvements to it, and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on TRUTH."
Trump was banned from the social network in January 2021 during the US riots after the platform felt his tweets could incite further violence at the time.
In a bold move, Musk took full ownership of the social network ending Twitter's run as a publicly-listed company since its IPO in 2013.
Earlier this month, Musk became a major Twitter shareholder acquiring more than 9% of the social network's shares.
An open-source algorithm and paid premium version of Twitter are at the forefront of changes users can expect to see from the platform soon.