Elon Musk made a surprise offer to purchase Twitter this week — days before the social media giant and the world’s richest man were slated to battle over nixing the merger in court.
Though Musk had been attempting to cancel the deal over a dispute about the platform’s true number of users, he suggested making the transaction at the original $54.20 per share — an offer that Twitter accepted. The deal could close as soon as the end of this week.
Musk, who also leads Tesla and SpaceX, has spent the past several months floating ideas on reforms that could make Twitter a more robust space for free expression. Here are some of the changes that could come to the platform once the mercurial visionary takes the reins.
The Great Uncancellation
Twitter has been known to suspend or entirely remove conservatives, especially over their remarks about hot-button social issues.
Libs of TikTok, a popular account that reposts videos from radical leftist activists, was locked out of Twitter two months ago for a “hateful conduct” warning. Allie Beth Stuckey, a commentator and podcast host, was suspended from Twitter on two separate occasions — once for saying that a transgender Olympic weightlifting competitor is “still a man,” and again for denouncing a Fox News segment that highlighted a family who claimed their child was transgender before she could speak. The Babylon Bee, a Christian satire outlet, was suspended earlier this year for mocking transgender Biden administration health official Rachel Levine.
However, Musk — an outspoken fan of The Babylon Bee — reportedly contacted the website’s leadership to confirm that they had indeed been sacked. “He even mused on that call that he might need to buy Twitter,” Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon said. “Now he’s the largest shareholder and has a seat on the board.”
It is entirely possible that the era of routine conservative suspensions and harassment from Twitter could end under the leadership of Musk.
Orange Man Returns
Twitter removed President Donald Trump from the platform — while he was still in office — over his alleged support of the January 6 riots at the United States Capitol. Earlier this year, Musk confirmed that he would reverse the ban.
“I think that was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country, and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice,” Musk explained, contending the decision was “morally bad.”
Trump has since launched his own social media venture, Truth Social, which reportedly experienced a lackluster introduction to the marketplace. The former commander-in-chief, however, has declared that he is “not going back to Twitter” and will remain on his own platform.
Yet a pivot from Trump could have serious implications for the upcoming midterm elections. As many as 92% of his nearly 200 endorsed candidates emerged victorious from their primary races — although some swing-state nominees have since downplayed their connections with Trump in order to appease moderate voters.
Free Speech With A Catch
Musk began his shakeup campaign several months ago with a poll for his millions of followers: “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle? The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.”
The poll showed that more than 70% of the 2,000,000 respondents answered in the negative. Musk at first teased creating a new platform of his own and noted that Twitter “serves as the de facto public town square,” yet does not “adhere to free speech principles” — and thus “fundamentally undermines democracy.”
Though he has since affirmed that users should be able to post “pretty outrageous things,” Musk appears to have little desire for overtly polarizing discourse on the platform. He reportedly said during a meeting with Twitter employees that he wants to prioritize “freedom of speech,” but not necessarily “freedom of reach” — implying that extreme views may not receive amplification.
Woke Purge
Musk is no conservative, but he is also no friend to radical leftism. Beyond moving his automotive company from California to Texas over lockdown policies, balking at spending proposals from Democratic lawmakers, and confronting President Joe Biden over his support of unionization, it appears that Musk likewise does not appreciate wokeness within the ranks of his own businesses.
Days after Musk announced that he had cast a ballot for Mayra Flores — a Mexican-American Republican congressional candidate who won a historically Democratic district in southern Texas — employees at SpaceX circulated an open letter blasting Musk for his “behavior in the public sphere” and exhorting the rocket company to “swiftly and explicitly separate itself” from his “personal brand.” Those responsible were quickly and unceremoniously fired.
Amid broader layoffs at Tesla, two employees who had also volunteered as diversity leads were relieved from their jobs — despite receiving multiple promotions in their relatively short tenures, indicating their performance was not the motivation behind the dismissals.
Musk therefore stirred fear in the hearts of Twitter employees, who complained that Musk would alter their corporate culture of inclusivity. Staffers reportedly began “dusting off their resumes” after Musk received a board seat. When asked by Twitter employees if he is committed to a diverse workplace, Musk replied that he wants “at least a billion people on Twitter” — which he considers the “most explicit definition of inclusiveness.”
Back To Work
Over the past two years, Musk has cultivated a distaste for remote work — a practice which he believes to be a cause for laziness and low productivity.
Earlier this year, he informed employees of Tesla that “remote work is no longer” acceptable at the automaker. “If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve those exceptions directly,” he noted in an email. When asked for a response to people who believe “coming into work is an antiquated concept,” Musk shot back that “they should pretend to work somewhere else.”
Once Twitter employees asked the same question, Musk informed them that it would be “much better if you are on location physically.” He also voiced concern about costs exceeding revenues and signaled a willingness to dismiss unproductive employees. “If somebody is getting useful things done, that’s great,” he said. “If they aren’t getting useful things done, then why are they at the company?”