Elon Musk to join Twitter’s board of directors

Elon Musk will join Twitter’s board of directors, it was announced Tuesday, elevating him to the company’s leadership just a day after it was revealed that he had bought up more than 9 percent of its stock.

Twitter CEO and board member Parag Agrawal said Tuesday that the company’s board had conversations with Musk “in recent weeks.”

“He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term. Welcome Elon!” Agrawal added.

Musk responded to Agrawal: “Looking forward to working with Parag & Twitter board to make significant improvements to Twitter in coming months!”

In an email to Twitter employees seen by NBC News, Agrawal said he and Musk are aligned on the critical role Twitter plays in the world.”

“There are times we will agree, times we will disagree, and that tension will help us get to better answers,” Agrawal wrote.

It’s not clear how Twitter’s 5,500 employees have reacted to the news, but a screenshot from the company’s internal Slack chat seen by NBC News offered some indication of a split. Reactions to a news article Tuesday about Musk becoming Twitter’s largest shareholder were close to evenly split among a Tesla logo, an emoji of women facepalming and an emoji vomiting.

Musk will serve as a Class II director until 2024, something that technically prevents him from taking over complete control of Twitter’s board.

Still, Musk’s stake now makes him Twitter’s largest individual shareholder. Given his frequent use of the platform, some analysts are expecting Musk, who has 80.5 million followers — nearly four-times more than President Joe Biden — to command a significant presence within the company.

“Musk joining the Twitter board a key signal that Twitter is embracing Musk rather than a more hostile situation,” Dan Ives, a managing director at Wedbush Securities who covers Twitter, tweeted Tuesday. “We would expect Musk to have an immediate impact upon joining the Board and the Street will look for a range of strategic paths ahead for Twitter with Musk on board.”