Billionaire Elon Musk is already floating major changes for Twitter B次元官网网址� and faces major hurdles as he begins his first week as .

TwitterB次元官网网址檚 new owner fired the companyB次元官网网址檚 board of directors and made himself the boardB次元官网网址檚 sole member, according to a company filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Musk later said on Twitter that the new board setup is B次元官网网址渢emporary,B次元官网网址� but he didnB次元官网网址檛 provide any details.

HeB次元官网网址檚 also testing the waters on asking users to pay for verification. A venture capitalist working with Musk tweeted a poll asking how much users would be willing to pay for the blue check mark that Twitter has historically used to verify higher-profile accounts so other users know itB次元官网网址檚 really them.

Musk, whose account is verified, replied, B次元官网网址淚nteresting.B次元官网网址�

Critics have derided the mark, often granted to celebrities, politicians, business leaders and journalists, as an elite status symbol.

But Twitter also uses the blue check mark to verify activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, as an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts that are impersonating people.

B次元官网网址淭he whole verification process is being revamped right now,B次元官网网址� Musk tweeted Sunday in response to a user who asked for help getting verified.

On Friday, meanwhile, billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said he and his Kingdom Holding Company rolled over a combined $1.89 billion in existing Twitter shares, making them the companyB次元官网网址檚 largest shareholder after Musk. The news raised concerns among some lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut.

Murphy tweeted that he is requesting the Committee on Foreign Investment B次元官网网址� which reviews acquisitions of U.S. businesses by foreign buyers B次元官网网址� to investigate the national security implications of the kingdomB次元官网网址檚 investment in Twitter

B次元官网网址淲e should be concerned that the Saudis, who have a clear interest in repressing political speech and impacting U.S. politics, are now the second-largest owner of a major social media platform,B次元官网网址� Murphy tweeted. B次元官网网址淭here is a clear national security issue at stake and CFIUS should do a review.B次元官网网址�

Having taken ownership of the social media service, Musk has invited a group of tech-world friends and investors to help guide the San Francisco-based companyB次元官网网址檚 transformation, which is likely to include a shakeup of its staff. Musk last week .

ThereB次元官网网址檚 been uncertainty about if and when he could begin larger-scale layoffs.

B次元官网网址淚 do think there will be a lot of layoffs,B次元官网网址� said Matthew Faulkner, an assistant finance professor at San Jose State University. Faulkner noted the need for cost-cutting after Musk bought Twitter for a premium and the platformB次元官网网址檚 longtime struggles trying to turn a profit. But Musk might also want as quickly as possible to weed out employees who donB次元官网网址檛 believe in his mission so that those who stay feel more secure.

B次元官网网址淵ou donB次元官网网址檛 want to have frantically scared employees working for you,B次元官网网址� Faulkner said. B次元官网网址淭hat doesnB次元官网网址檛 motivate people.B次元官网网址�

Those who have revealed they are helping Musk include Sriram Krishnan, a partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which pledged back in the spring to chip in to MuskB次元官网网址檚 plan to buy the company and take it private.

Krishnan, who is also a former Twitter product executive, said in a tweet that it is B次元官网网址渁 hugely important company and can have great impact on the world and Elon is the person to make it happen.B次元官网网址�

Jason Calacanis, the venture capitalist who tweeted the poll about whether users would pay for verification, said over the weekend he is B次元官网网址渉anging out at Twitter a bit and simply trying to be as helpful as possible during the transition.B次元官网网址�

Calacanis said the team already B次元官网网址渉as a very comprehensive plan to reduce the number of (and visibility of) on the platform.B次元官网网址� And in the Twitter poll, he asked if users would pay between $5 and $15 monthly to B次元官网网址渂e verified & get a blue check markB次元官网网址� on Twitter. Twitter is currently free for most users because it depends on advertising for its revenue.

Musk agreed to buy Twitter for $44 billion in April but it wasnB次元官网网址檛 until Thursday evening that he finally closed the deal, after his attempts to back out of it led to a protracted legal fight with the company. MuskB次元官网网址檚 lawyers are now asking the Delaware Chancery Court to throw out the case, according to a court filing made public Monday. The two sides were supposed to go to trial in November if they didnB次元官网网址檛 close the deal by the end of last week.

Musk has made a number of pronouncements since early this year about how to fix Twitter, and it remains unclear which proposals he will prioritize.

He has promised to cut back some of TwitterB次元官网网址檚 content restrictions to promote free speech, but said Friday that no major decisions on content or reinstating of banned accounts will be made until a B次元官网网址渃ontent moderation councilB次元官网网址� with diverse viewpoints is put in place. He later qualified that remark, tweeting B次元官网网址渁nyone suspended for minor & dubious reasons will be freed from Twitter jail.B次元官网网址�

The head of a cryptocurrency exchange that invested $500 million in MuskB次元官网网址檚 Twitter takeover said he had a number of reasons for supporting the deal, including the possibility Musk would transition Twitter into a company supporting cryptocurrency and the concept known as Web3, which many cryptocurrency enthusiasts envision as the next generation of the internet.

B次元官网网址淲e want to make sure that crypto has a seat at the table when it comes to free speech,B次元官网网址� Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao told CNBC on Monday. B次元官网网址淎nd there are more tactical things, like we want to help bring Twitter into Web3 when theyB次元官网网址檙e ready.B次元官网网址�

He said cryptocurrency could be useful for solving some of MuskB次元官网网址檚 immediate challenges, such as the plan to charge a premium membership fee for more users.

B次元官网网址淭hat can be done very easily, globally, by using cryptocurrency as a means of payment,B次元官网网址� he said.

___

Associated Press Writer Randall Chase contributed to this story.

Matt OB次元官网网址檅rien And Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .