Elon Musk has officially taken control of Twitter after finalising a $44bn deal to buy the social media network.

In one of his first decisions at the helm of the social media giant, Musk, the world’s richest man, fired three top executives including CEO Parag Agrawal, multiple United States-based media outlets reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal, policy, and trust, were also let go, according to the reports.

Sean Edgett, Twitter’s general counsel, was also fired, the Washington Post reported, citing an unnamed source.

Following the reports, Musk tweeted “the bird is freed”, referencing the social media network’s bird logo.