Why Musk (In all probability) Did not Purchase Twitter as a Free Speech Play

Elon Musk finalized his deal to purchase Twitter this week for $44 billion. Should you’ve been following me on Twitter (@vinistic), you already know that I’ve been obsessive about Musk’s efforts to purchase Twitter and take it personal.

Now that the sale is closed, we are able to give attention to Twitter’s future as a social media platform. 

Musk clearly has some kind of plan right here. The concept that Musk purchased Twitter simply because he might or as a result of he was bored is an insult to considering folks in every single place. Positive, Musk is the world’s richest man with an estimated internet price of $271.three billion. And Twitter’s asking worth of $44 billion represents about 16% of his wealth. So he might undoubtedly afford to purchase Twitter.

However there’s no scarcity of issues Musk should buy or do. If he needed to stay within the Cambrian Lodge and spend all of his time within the infinity pool trying on the Swiss Alps, he might do this. He didn’t need to spend $44 billion on Twitter.

And Musk just isn’t bored. He’s the CEO of each Tesla and SpaceX. He’s the founding father of The Boring Firm. He actually doesn’t want the additional work.

The reason folks appear to love essentially the most is it is a free speech play. Musk is a free speech absolutist. And by taking Twitter personal, Musk can “liberate” the platform and permit all folks to talk with considerably much less moderation. What which means for those who use social media to harass, abuse or hurt others is unknown.

I consider there’s some fact to this line of considering. Musk is actually vocal about his free speech beliefs. And taking Twitter personal actually offers the corporate somewhat extra latitude to chart a contemporary course. However (there’s all the time a however) Musk can’t simply do no matter he needs when Twitter goes personal. 

The EU simply handed new guidelines relating to content material moderation and taking down content material that accommodates hate speech, incites terrorism or promotes little one sexual abuse. The rules will likely be far stricter than something that exists within the U.S. And failure to conform results in annual fines of as much as 6% of annual income. This put Musk and EU regulators on a collision course. And I’m unsure Musk needs to pay as much as $300 million a yr in fines to construct a platform that adheres to his model of free speech. 

I’m not satisfied in any respect that Musk purchased Twitter as a part of a free speech campaign. Musk is a brilliant man. But he selected to purchase Twitter and the complications that include it. Why?

A buddy of mine believes Musk is doing this to assist Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey. The 2 are pals. They usually share an analogous imaginative and prescient for Twitter. In reality, Dorsey endorsed Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

Dorsey can be no fan of Twitter’s board. The board both compelled Dorsey out or made life so depressing that Dorsey give up final yr. And because the Musk takeover saga unfolded, Dorsey made certain everybody knew Twitter’s board was problematic.

By buying Twitter and (ultimately) taking it personal, Musk has wrested management of the corporate away from the board. And he’s cleared the trail for Dorsey to return.

Will Musk and Dorsey truly do that? I don’t know. All of that is hypothesis. However this line of considering appears a lot nearer to the reality than “Elon Musk, free speech crusader.”

Each Musk and Dorsey consider Twitter’s future is as a non-public firm – or perhaps even a utility. Musk shopping for Twitter is step one in making an attempt to make that imaginative and prescient a actuality.

The second step is anybody’s guess. However this tweet I noticed yesterday matches my ideas on the topic properly.

In case you have any ideas on the way forward for Twitter, be at liberty to hit me up on Twitter (@vinistic).