At a meeting, Twitter employees raise questions about the sale of the company

Elon Musk has officially announced that he will buy Twitter, and company officials have questions.

In a Monday afternoon meeting with CEO Parag Agrawal and chairman Bret Taylor, social media employees raised questions about everything from what the deal would mean for their salary compensation to whether US President Donald Trump could return to the platform, according to audio of the meeting obtained by CNN.

The meeting came after Twitter’s board announced it had reached an agreement to sell the company to Musk for $44 billion, or $54.20 a share.

The deal ends a news cycle in which the Tesla and SpaceX CEO became one of Twitter’s biggest shareholders, was offered and declined a seat on its board and submitted an offer to buy the company – all in less than a month – and puts the world’s richest man in charge of one of the most influential social networks.

It also raises big questions about how Musk’s proposed changes to the platform, including loosening restrictions on content, will take shape.

Agrawal, who has been at the helm of Twitter for just four months, told employees not to expect major changes before the deal closes by the end of this year.

The CEO also said that “there are no plans for layoffs at this time” and that Twitter’s remote work policies remain in place.

“Between now and the closing (of the deal), we will continue to make decisions as we always have, guided by the principles that we had,” he said. “That doesn’t mean things aren’t going to change, things are changing… I’ve been talking about driving positive change in the company and I will continue to do so because it makes us better and stronger.”

Agrawal said Twitter’s leadership would look to find time for employees to ask Musk questions directly, and added that he looks forward to spending time with the billionaire about the principles that have guided Twitter’s decisions.

In response to a question about Trump, who was removed from Twitter early last year for violating his policies of incitement to violence following the Capitol riot, Agrawal told staff it’s something they should ask Musk and said, “As soon as the deal is done, is closed, we will know which direction the platform will go”.

One employee asked what the acquisition of Musk could mean for Twitter’s AI’s “responsible and ethical commitment”. “We’re seen as industry leaders in the field and we’ve attracted some of the best and brightest minds in the industry, but it seems the new command’s views are different,” he said;

Agrawal called this work “critical for Twitter to be able to serve our customers” and said that “we need to keep doing this work”.

Other employees asked what the Musk acquisition could mean for employee retention and attrition. The deal comes at a time when there is already fierce competition for talent in the job market, especially in the tech industry.

“This is really a period of uncertainty,” Agrawal said. “All of you have different feelings and opinions about this news, many of you are concerned, some are excited, many people here are waiting to understand how this happens and are open-minded… core of what makes Twitter powerful.”

Later in the call, Agrawal said he was “optimistic” about the company’s future. “He (Musk) wants Twitter to be a powerful and positive force in the world, just like we all do,” said the CEO.

For his part, Musk said in a statement on Monday that “freedom of expression is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital city square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.” He added that “Twitter has tremendous potential.”