Watch CBS News
A month after he bought Twitter for $44 billion, Elon Musk said Thursday that he is granting "amnesty" for suspended accounts, which online safety experts predict will spur a rise in harassment, hate speech and misinformation.
Billionaire announced the move after posting a poll that let people vote on whether to restore previously banned accounts.
"We're back. Let that sink in," tweeted satirical right-wing outlet Babylon Bee after being suspended for eight months.
Musk made the move after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click "yes" or "no" on whether Trump's account should be reinstated.
Elon Musk said Saturday he will reinstate Donald Trump's account on Twitter, reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021
Elon Musk on Friday said Twitter plans to restore several controversial accounts that had previously been banned or suspended, but added that the company has not yet made a decision about the account of former President Donald Trump.
Twitter continued to bleed engineers and other workers on Thursday, after new owner Elon Musk gave them a choice to pledge to "hardcore" work or resign with severance pay.
On the platform Thursday evening, where #RIPTwitter was the top trend worldwide, users wrote what they feared might be their last posts, offering apprehensive goodbyes and listing the other (more stable) social media platforms where they can still be found. They were reacting to the dire news emanating from inside Twitter.
Long work weeks are no stranger to Elon Musk, who in 2018 told CBS Mornings' Gayle King he had been sleeping on a Tesla factory floor.
The company is losing $4 million a week as high-profile staffers resign, raising doubts that it can keep operating.
In an email to the social media company's employees, the billionaire said there was "no way to sugarcoat the message."
"I got this wrong," admits CEO Mark Zuckerberg as his company grapples with faltering revenue and broader tech industry woes.
Twitter appears to be battling a wave of celebrity and corporate impersonators on its platform who have quickly gamed the company's new paid verification system, hours after its launch.
It's not clear if the money Musk raised went toward the Twitter purchase, or to support losses at Twitter since he took over.
"I got this wrong," admits CEO Mark Zuckerberg as his company grapples with faltering revenue and broader tech industry woes.
Twitter said Tuesday evening that to resolve ambiguity about which accounts on its platform have been identity-verified — as opposed to those simply paying $8 a month for a blue check mark on their profiles — the company will introduce a new, gray check mark as part of an "official" label.
Some advertisers, users have left platform amid growing concern over company's ability to deal with hate speech, misinformation.
Shonda Rhimes, Toni Braxton, Sara Bareilles and Tea Leoni are among the high-profile people who have ditched Twitter following Elon Musk's acquisition of the company.
The platform's new owner issued the warning after some celebrities after some celebrities changed their Twitter display names - not their account names - to parody him.
Comedian Kathy Griffin had her account suspended Sunday after she switched her screen name to Musk. She told a Bloomberg reporter that she had also used his profile photo.
It was not immediately clear when the subscription service would go live.
Under Elon Musk's ownership, thousands of Twitter employees, including top executives, have been fired.
Analysts say the billionaire will move to slash costs after overpaying in his $44 billion purchase of the social media company.
The number of hate speech-filled tweets increased by 4.7 times an hour immediately following Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, researchers found.
Elon Musk on Sunday tweeted a link to an unfounded rumor about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, just days after Musk's purchase of Twitter fueled concerns that the social media platform would no longer seek to limit misinformation and hate speech.
"Every vote counts" — it's a common phrase heard before elections, but it turns out not to be true in Sacramento and other California counties.
It has been six long months of searching for Athena and Mateo Lee after their mother, Angelica Bravo, was found dead in a Sacramento home.
Over 10% of UC Davis students have home addresses in the zones where fires are raging across Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass awkwardly remained silent when she was questioned by a reporter overseas over the devastating fires back home.
The SPCA took them in to free up space and resources for the influx of animals displaced by the fires in Southern California.
California Gov. Newsom was confronted by a mother in Los Angeles County who said her daughter's school burned down as several fires have devastated the region this week.
The Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Lidia fires are burning in Southern California, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Here are the latest updates.
President-elect Donald Trump blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for the deadly wildfires devastating Los Angeles County this week — and the governor's office has fired back.
Nonprofit groups are working to distribute essential supplies to those impacted.
The Macy's locations in downtown Sacramento and Citrus Heights are two of the 66 locations it plans to close across the country in 2025.
"Every vote counts" — it's a common phrase heard before elections, but it turns out not to be true in Sacramento and other California counties.
It has been six long months of searching for Athena and Mateo Lee after their mother, Angelica Bravo, was found dead in a Sacramento home.
The SPCA took them in to free up space and resources for the influx of animals displaced by the fires in Southern California.
Illegal dumping in south Natomas has neighbors frustrated and disgusted after they woke up to garbage lining their street.
The mayor said there will be a robust nationwide search over the next few months for a permanent city manager.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass awkwardly remained silent when she was questioned by a reporter overseas over the devastating fires back home.
A man, two children, and a dog were found dead after a house fire in Central California early Wednesday morning, authorities say.
"American Nightmare" victims Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn worked with two small-town law enforcement officials to get kidnapper Matthew Muller to confess to more cold case crimes.
The White House says President Joe Biden will establish two new national monuments in California that will honor Native American tribes.
The governor said good planning in the last budget allowed the state to avoid a major shortfall this year.
The Minnesota Vikings' Monday night playoff matchup against the Rams has been moved to Arizona due to devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
The San Francisco 49ers began their search for a new defensive coordinator by interviewing Robert Saleh for a second stint at the job and Detroit Lions assistant Deshea Townsend.
The Las Vegas Raiders have fired general manager Tom Telesco, just a year after he was hired.
The San Francisco 49ers have fired defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen after just one disappointing season.
Three-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Justin Verlander has reportedly agreed to a deal with the San Francisco Giants for the upcoming 2025 season.
"Every vote counts" — it's a common phrase heard before elections, but it turns out not to be true in Sacramento and other California counties.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass awkwardly remained silent when she was questioned by a reporter overseas over the devastating fires back home.
Court to hear arguments Friday on law forcing TikTok sale by Chinese parent company that takes effect in Jan. 19.
President Biden canceled a diplomatic visit to Italy this week, opting to remain in the U.S. to monitor the deadly California wildfire situation.
President Biden honored former President Jimmy Carter in a eulogy at his funeral.
The Louisiana patient was hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu in the first death in the U.S. caused by the H5N1 virus.
But consumer advocates say the Food and Drug Administration's new guidance on lead limit in baby food doesn't go far enough.
Several Western states are seeing rates worse than last year's peak of flu season.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Friday aimed at further investigating food dyes and ultraprocessed foods and increasing access to affordable and healthy food.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in samples of Monarch Raw Pet Food, and a cat that ate the food is confirmed to have been infected.
The Macy's locations in downtown Sacramento and Citrus Heights are two of the 66 locations it plans to close across the country in 2025.
A Fairfield couple had their home insurance policy canceled because of a photo taken from high above their residence. They called Kurtis when they thought the insurance carrier got it wrong.
Inflation and California's higher wages are driving up the cost of dining out, but the Call Kurtis team has found some relief for your wallet in the form of discount gift cards for restaurants.
A Sacramento mother is seeking answers—and justice—after discovering that her daughter's grave was moved without her knowledge.
A Lodi animal rescue and adoption agency said someone hijacked their Facebook page and is using it to rip people off. They reached out to the Call Kurtis team to look into it.
"American Nightmare" victims Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn worked with two small-town law enforcement officials to get kidnapper Matthew Muller to confess to more cold case crimes.
This year-long investigation by CBS News California investigative correspondent Julie Watts examines the many components of California's new tougher-on-crime law.
This year-long investigation provides an unprecedented look at California's one-party supermajority legislature through the eyes of grieving parents who discover how California lawmakers kill popular bills by not voting.
A Natomas mother demanded that her daughter be exhumed and cremated after a Sacramento cemetery moved her grave without telling the family.
No one — not the Governor's Office, the CHP task force, nor the attorney general — can tell us how many of the people arrested by California's Organized Retail Crime Task Force were sentenced, let alone how many went to jail, received treatment, or re-offended.
CBS13 and the Call Kurtis consumer investigative team devised an idea on how to lower what consumers owe on their credit cards -- and it begins with a simple phone call.
No one wants to think about death. However, it's important to plan on what happens to your digital assets after you die.
After spending $18,000 on waterproof laminate floors, a Natomas couple spotted damage after the first cleaning.
More than a year after Hai Pham canceled the trial membership, he kept getting charged every month for it.
A Natomas mother demanded that her daughter be exhumed and cremated after a Sacramento cemetery moved her grave without telling the family.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass awkwardly remained silent when she was questioned by a reporter overseas over the devastating fires back home.
The SPCA took them in to free up space and resources for the influx of animals displaced by the fires in Southern California.
Jessie Fischer is taking her misfortune and turning it into motivation to help others who have suffered a similar loss because of a devastating wildfire.
The fire prompted a massive response from crews across the state, including five strike teams out of Auburn in Placer County.
The goal is to attract more women to the profession.
A high school senior and his girlfriend dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus and handed out gifts to every student at their school, Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts.
It was a day of conquering fears and overcoming odds at the Sacramento Deep Water Channel this weekend. People living with physical disabilities got an opportunity to feel the exhilaration of setting sail.
A nutrition program to get kids excited about healthy eating in Yuba City is seeing success and now the farm-to-school program will be growing not just food but in size and opportunity.
Kids and teens in Stockton are flocking to a program that's offering them the opportunity of a lifetime.
More than one hundred customers came out to celebrate the grand reopening of a restaurant that's been around for seven decades.
"Every vote counts" — it's a common phrase heard before elections, but it turns out not to be true in Sacramento and other California counties.
Stockton's city manager announced his resignation on Thursday.
It has been six long months of searching for Athena and Mateo Lee after their mother, Angelica Bravo, was found dead in a Sacramento home.
Over 10% of UC Davis students have home addresses in the zones where fires are raging across Los Angeles County.
CBS13 political analyst Gary Dietrich discusses Gov. Newsom's fire response, the state's fire and insurance crisis, and Jimmy Carter's funeral service.