Look Back on The Internet Reactions to Elon Musk’s Twitter Moves
After Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, the deal, sparked mixed reactions from politicians, companies, and ordinary users.
The social media platform with more than 230 million users. and the deal was finalized on October 27, 2022, after months of legal wrangling.
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Musk has promised to transform Twitter into a common digital town square where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence. He has styled himself as a “free speech absolutist” and said he would reverse bans on suspended users, including former US President Donald Trump, who was excluded following the Capitol riot in January 2021.
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover
However, his vision of free expression has also raised concerns about the potential risks of allowing harmful or misleading content to spread on the platform, or the impact of his personal agenda on Twitter’s policies and practices.
Some commentators have praised his move as a bold challenge to Big Tech monopolies and censorship, while others have criticized him for undermining Twitter’s moderation standards and accountability.
Musk has also faced challenges in making Twitter profitable and sustainable. He has reportedly fired several top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and head of legal policy, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde. He has also sought to cut costs by laying off staff and to boost revenue by introducing subscriptions and luring advertisers back to the platform.
Profitability and sustainability
In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, Musk said that running Twitter has been “quite painful” and that he made “many mistakes” along the way.
He said that Twitter is now “roughly breakeven” and expected to become cash flow positive next quarter.
It is reported that He also said “almost all” advertisers have resumed buying ads on Twitter after some paused following his acquisition.
During the BBC interview, he was told by the reporter that there was more hate speech on the platform since he took over. He challenged the reporter to show or give an example of hate speech on Twitter. The latter failed to do so.
The internet has been buzzing with opinions and reactions to Musk’s Twitter takeover. Some users have expressed support and admiration for Musk’s vision and innovation. Others have expressed skepticism and frustration with Musk’s interference and unpredictability. Still others have expressed indifference and apathy about Twitter’s future direction.
As Musk continues to shape Twitter according to his own whims and preferences, the question remains: how will his takeover affect the role and impact of Twitter as a platform for communication, information, and influence in the world?