This weekend, Musk perhaps made the most drastic change to the service by reinstating Trump’s account. Twitter banned Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, warning that Trump’s account could instigate violence ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Trump was banned across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Trump has yet to tweet on Twitter, but his account is unblocked. The former president’s presence on the service could have major advertising implications. Musk had assured advertisers and other stakeholders that he would consult with a “content council” before making any major decisions. Musk made the decision based on a poll of his followers on Twitter, asking whether or not they should unblock Trump's account.
Twitter was not immediately available for comment.
Twitter has lost many top people in recent days amid ongoing layoffs and resignations. The ad sales staff and partnership teams are depleted, according to people familiar with the changes. Former Twitter employees have taken to Twitter to announce their departures. Many are posting saluting emojis and sharing the hashtag “love where you worked,” a nod to an unofficial internal motto “love where you work.” On Friday night, Wheeler posted the saluting emoji signaling her send-off, which was right around the time Musk was posting a poll to ask his 118 million Twitter followers if he should reinstate Trump. A poll that Trump won.
On Sunday night, there were more departures, including Andrew Katz, a senior client partner, who announced his goodbye on Twitter. Variety reported on departures, including Sarah Rosen, U.S. head of content partnerships. Also leaving: Maggie McLean Suniewick, who just joined in June as Twitter’s VP of partnerships, coming from NBCUniversal.