By Sheila Dang

(Reuters). -News of Tesla: Elon Musk takes a seat on the board at Twitter (NYSE). This has led to some employees of Twitter panicking about the firm’s future ability to control content. Insiders from the company told Reuters.

Within hours after the surprising disclosure that Musk, who self-described as a “free speech absolutist”, had gained enough shares to make him the most valuable shareholder on Twitter, conservative political activists began to flood social media calling for Donald Trump’s return. Following the January 6, 2016 incident, Facebook and Twitter banned Musk (NASDAQ;) from their platforms. Capitol riot after concerns about incitement to violence.

“Now that Twitter’s biggest shareholder is @ElonMusk, it’s high time for political freedom. Oh… and BRING BACK TRUMP!,” tweeted Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert on Monday.

Reuters interviewed four Twitter employees this week who were worried about Musk’s potential to have an influence over the company’s policy regarding harmful users and content.

Musk’s presence on the board was criticized by employees who felt that Musk’s views regarding moderation would undermine years of effort to make Twitter a healthy place for discourse. They also fear it might encourage trolling and mob violence.

Trump’s Twitter ban was followed by a tweet from the billionaire saying that many would not like U.S. technology companies “as de facto arbiter for free speech.”

THE INTENTIONS OF MUSK

Musk hasn’t yet stated his goals for his new role on the board but has already telegraphed them with Twitter. Musk had disclosed his 9.1% share in Twitter a week prior. He polled 80 million of his followers to find out if the site adhered or not to free speech principles. The majority voted “no”

They asked for anonymity out of fear of retribution and pointed to Musk’s track record of attacking opponents via Twitter. Musk, a British diver who assisted in the rescue of children in Thailand’s cave, was then accused by some of his employees and others as a pedophile.

Musk won a defamation case https://www.reuters.com/article/us-musk-lawsuit-idINKBN1YA13U brought by the diver in 2019.

Twitter’s spokesperson reiterated Tuesday’s statements that the board played an “important advisory and feedback” role throughout the service. But, Twitter management and its employees make daily decisions and take the final decision.

The spokesperson stated that Twitter is dedicated to impartiality when it comes to the creation and implementation of its rules and policies.

Reuters talked to some employees not sure about their company’s commitment.

One employee stated that it was difficult to believe the board doesn’t exert influence. Elon would not want to be on the board if that were true.

However, other employees Reuters talked to indicated that Musk’s participation could accelerate the launch of new features and products and give a different perspective for active users of Twitter.

Musk and Tesla have not responded to inquiries for comment.

According to one employee, Twitter’s board features prominently during discussions at the company, which is more so than any other tech companies. This is due to Twitter’s single-class share structure. This makes it less vulnerable than Meta Platforms Inc where Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, controls the company via a dual-class share structure. Twitter’s teams often think about how to convey a decision or strategy to their board.

On Thursday, Musk tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1511982702819520512?s=20&t=icqGAAlqCZdXjrowWZk0zw an image from 2018 of him smoking weed on the Joe Rogan podcast on Spotify (NYSE:), with the text: “Twitter’s next board meeting is going to be lit.”

TRUMP’S RETURN?

A source close to the operations of the company said that Trump is not currently being reinstated. Twitter spokeswoman said that there are no plans to change any policies.

A veteran auto analyst, who has covered Musk’s operation style at Tesla, said it was only a matter time.

Trump would love to do the same thing if he was really rich but couldn’t afford it. According to Sam Abuelsamid (Guidehouse Insights Analyst), Elon has done what Trump would want.

Elon now owns almost 10% of Twitter, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Twitter restored Trump’s Twitter account,” he stated.

Musk’s involvement could have a long-term impact on Twitter’s corporate culture. Employees believe that Musk may be changing the company’s values of inclusivity. Musk, who posted memes mocking transgender persons and attempts to control COVID-19’s spread, has been widely criticised. He also compared some leaders in the world to Hitler.

Many employees felt alarmed at the warm reception Musk got from Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, and his cofounder Jack Dorsey. This prompted them all to go on the job market.

One person stated, “Some people are cleaning out their resumes.” “I don’t want to work for somebody (like Musk).”