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Elon Musk (archive image)
Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP
Tesla boss Elon Musk is considering a fee for certain users after the takeover of the US short message service Twitter.
"Twitter will always be free for personal users, but there may be a small fee for commercial/government users," Musk wrote in a tweet.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Musk takes over Twitter for $44 billion.
The Tesla boss initially wants to take the 16-year-old company off the stock exchange after the takeover.
The planned takeover by the entrepreneur had caused some excitement last week - not least in the group itself. Last Friday, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal had to appease his employees during a company-wide meeting.
The background is the fear that the announced purchase by the Tesla boss will lead to layoffs and salary cuts.
Twitter has always taken care of its employees and will continue to do so, the CEO reassured.
Twitter plans impact Tesla course
According to alleged insider information, Musk had suggested that the lenders cut the salaries of the board and executives.
However, the entrepreneur does not want to make any decisions about job cuts before he has become the owner of Twitter.
Musk had scared not only Twitter, but also his own company and its investors with his plans: In order to finance the takeover, he sold 4.4 million Tesla shares in one fell swoop, causing the share to plummet.
Musk has committed to bringing in up to $21 billion of his own funds for the $44 billion Twitter purchase.
How exactly he intends to bring them up is still unclear.
After the recent sale, he still holds a good 168 million Tesla shares.
He wants to use part of it to secure a loan of 12.5 billion dollars, which is also intended to finance the Twitter deal.
jok/Reuters
