Elon Musk has completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, ending months of legal drama with the simple message "the bird is freed." The deal makes the world's richest person the owner of one of the most influential social media platforms.

Musk immediately fired top executives including CEO Parag Agrawal and began implementing changes to the platform's content moderation policies and business model. He has signaled plans to reduce costs dramatically and implement a subscription model.

The acquisition raises questions about Twitter's future direction and its role in public discourse. Musk has described himself as a "free speech absolutist" while also acknowledging the need for content moderation.