Ev Williams, a co-founder of Twitter and its former CEO, said on Tuesday night that he's "excited to see what happens" with Elon Musk at the helm.

Yes, but: He also cautioned that he has "respect for the people who have been shepherding" the company, "especially on the trust and safety side."

Why it matters: These comments, made during a Fortune Magazine dinner in San Francisco, are Williams' first since Musk first offered to buy Twitter two weeks ago.

What else he's saying: "I am pro free speech, but what are the nuances of that? What I'm interested in, and I think it has a lot of promise, is how we decentralize moderation."

• Williams also said that he believes Twitter may have more opportunities for innovation as a privately held company, echoing recent tweets from fellow co-founder Jack Dorsey.
• As for the prospect of an edit button, he added: "Honestly I don't get it, I don't think it's a big deal.”