Elon Musk has officially joined Twitter's board of directors after becoming the largest shareholder. This announcement has some Twitter employees worried.
Four Twitter employees told Reuters they were concerned that Musk could influence the moderation policies for abusive and harmful content. Twitter itself ensures that members of the board cannot take part in making decisions about company policies.
With Musk joining Twitter's board, Twitter employees are concerned that Musk's opinion of moderation will undermine Twitter's efforts to create a healthy platform, and instead allow trolling to proliferate.
"I find it hard to believe that the board of directors has no influence. If that's the case, why would Elon want a board seat?" said a Twitter employee, as quoted by Reuters, Friday (8/4/2022).
But some Twitter employees claim that it is hoped that Musk's arrival will help speed up the product and feature development process, and provide a new perspective as an active Twitter user.
Musk hasn't revealed what steps he will take once he joins the Twitter board, but he has given some hints.
A week before it was revealed that he owns 9.2% of Twitter's shares, Musk conducted a poll of his 80 million followers to see if Twitter complied with the principles of free speech, and the majority voted 'no'. Musk himself claims to be a 'free speech absolutist'.
Twitter's board of directors are typically more involved in internal company discussions than other tech companies. Divisions within Twitter often look for ways to present strategy or plans to the board of directors.
In the long term, Twitter employees worry that Musk's involvement could change the company's culture that values inclusivity. Musk himself has been criticized several times for posting tweets and memes that mock transgender people, even comparing some of the country's leaders to Hitler.
Some employees were also surprised to see Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey warmly welcome Musk. Those who panic even immediately look for job vacancies.
"Some people are back to tidying up their resumes. I don't want to work for someone like Musk," said a Twitter employee.