Elon Musk and Twitter reach an agreement for $44bn takeover as Trump looms large

Twitter has reached an agreement for billionaire Elon Musk to buy the social media platform in a $44bn (£34.6bn) deal.

It is unclear how Mr. Musk intends to make money from the platform, but he has suggested in interviews and tweets. That he intends to loosen the restrictions around what can be said on Twitter.

Mr. Musk, the richest man in the world, has frequently expressed concerns that Twitter’s control of free speech goes too far – despite it being one of the least policed social media platforms.

He has also promised to make Twitter’s algorithms public so users can see how content is promoted or demoted, and to rid the platform of spambots that interfere with the user experience.

So far, the question of whether Donald Trump, and others who have been banned or suspended from the site, will be allowed back has gone unanswered, both by Mr. Musk and by Twitter executives.

In a meeting with Twitter employees following the announcement, the company’s chief executive said it was now for Mr. Musk to decide what happens to Mr. Trump.

“We constantly evolve our policies,” Parag Agrawal said. “Once the deal closes, we don’t know what direction this company will go in.”

Musk