- Elon Musk and Twitter announced a deal to take the social media company private.
- Several high-profile users said Musk's ownership would cause them to leave the platform.
As the news broke on Monday that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had reached a deal to buy Twitter, several hashtags started trending suggesting that a user exodus was on the way.
But users tagging their posts with #GoodByeTwitter or talking about leaving the platform were largely poking fun at supposed liberals who couldn't stomach Musk's approach to free speech.
While most commenters appeared to be sticking around, some high-profile users did indicate that they would be stepping away from their accounts.
Transform talent with learning that worksCapability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More "One good thing about Elon buying Twitter is that I will FINALLY leave and stop being a complete menace to society on here. So it's win win for you all really," actress Jameela Jamil told her 1 million followers shortly before the deal was announced.
Jamil then followed up with "my last tweet" — a photo of her and her dog Barold.
"I've been pulling back a bit from social media anyway," said New York Times columnist Charles Blow to his 645,000 followers. "This will be just the push I need to go all the way on this app."
Others, like post-doctoral researcher Caroline Orr, said they would be staying engaged with the platform while it becomes clear what changes will ultimately take shape under Musk's ownership.
"What we do know is that if all the decent people leave, it'll get bad here a whole lot faster," she said.
Political commentator Ana Navarro-Cárdenas said if she had a dollar for everyone who said they'd leave, and didn't, she "might have enough $$ to buy a Tesla."
One notable account did indeed go dark within minutes of the deal becoming public: that of Danish-American CEO Henrik Fisker, CEO of US-based electric-vehicle maker Fisker.
Fisker's final post was reportedly a request to "Please follow me on IG [Instagram] from now on if you want updates," according to EV.
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