Elon Musk takes over Twitter amid mixed reactions from politicians, the public

Elon Musk solidified his ownership of Twitter on Thursday evening, including firing several top executives, as his US$44-billion deal officially closed.

The closing of the deal puts a cap on months of turmoil when the Tesla and SpaceX founder first offered to buy the platform, then tried to walk away, sparking a court battle.

But as the billionaire takes over the social media company, members of the public and world politicians are expressing mixed reactions. Some said they believed Musk would handle the ownership well and calling him the "Thomas Edison of our generation," while others called him controversial and another reason not to go on the platform. A spokesperson for the European Union (EU) also stressed Twitter would need to abide by EU rules after it was sold.