Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter is an intriguing illustration of a high-profile change initiative in organizational transformation (Conger, 2023). The main motivation behind Musk’s redesign of Twitter was his aspirations to become an all-encompassing service similar to WeChat in China. He wanted to make Twitter more than a social networking site by adding payment options, news distribution, and food ordering. Musk made substantial changes to Twitter’s algorithms and verification procedures as part of his strategic actions, significantly altering how users interact with the network (Conger, 2023). Notably, he separated the newsfeed into two parts: a “For You” feed that suggested tweets from accounts users did not follow and a “Following” tab for their subscriptions.

These modifications, however, were not without their difficulties. Musk tried to increase Twitter’s versatility, but the changes have perplexed and frustrated users and staff. The new automated curating was viewed by many users as being less accurate, overwhelming their feeds with information that did not correspond to their preferences. In addition, the proliferation of metrics and the advent of sponsored verification have altered the dynamics of trustworthiness and user experience. This circumstance emphasizes the fine line firms must walk when balancing customer pleasure and innovation during transformative endeavors. Musk’s objectives for a comprehensive platform ran counter to the expectations of his target audience, resulting in a noticeable disconnect between the two. This illustrates the difficulties and obstacles of implementing substantial organizational change in the digital era.

In this situation, it is crucial to comprehend the context of organizational transformation. Business school deans have highlighted technology, competitiveness, and particular workplace or industry concerns in their analysis of the drivers driving organizational transformation (Kemelgor et al., 2000). These elements, discovered via academic study, provide a framework for assessing Musk’s ambitious upgrades to Twitter. By highlighting the larger trends that businesses must consider while conducting transformational efforts, the analysis of such variables places the difficulties organizations confront in responding to the changing environment into context.

References

Conger, K. (2023, April 7). How Elon Musk Is Changing the Twitter Experience. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/technology/elon-musk-twitter-changes.html

Kemelgor, B. H., Johnson, S. D., & Srinivasan, S. (2000). Forces driving organizational change: A business school perspective. Journal of Education for Business, 75(3), 133–137.