Musk Claims He’s Buying Twitter to ‘Help Humanity’

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Facts

  • As he closes in on a Friday deadline to complete his $44B purchase of Twitter, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday tweeted a message explaining why he wants to buy the social media platform, with an overall theme of “help[ing] humanity.”
  • Musk warned that a deep political split on social media will "divide our society" and said, “the reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square." He went on to reassure advertisers his goal for Twitter is the be "the most respected advertising platform in the world."
  • Musk’s tweet was the most recent sign that the deal will close. On Wednesday, he tweeted a video depicting him walking into Twitter headquarters carrying a sink, with a caption that read, “Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!” “Kitchen sinking” is a term used in business for taking radical action.
  • Although his tweets used the past tense, Musk’s purchase isn't yet complete. Market confidence that the deal would close pushed the stock up 1% to $53.90 – near the $54.20 Musk agreed to pay per share.
  • Musk agreed to purchase Twitter earlier this year but eventually tried to back out over allegations that the company misrepresented the number of fake accounts on its platform. Twitter denied the accusation and filed suit to enforce the deal. The lawsuit will move forward if a deal isn’t complete by Friday.

Sources: ABC, BBC News, and Guardian.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Musk’s message offers an encouraging vision to all that claim to champion free speech. As long as he follows through on his promise, users will be able to obtain news free of establishment bias and share opinions without the risk of being censored.
  • Left narrative, as provided by The Guardian. Freedom of speech is important, but unfettered social media posts can be dangerous. Twitter, like any other commercial space, not only has a right but an obligation to maintain order and decorum. With Musk at the helm, it’ll be interesting to see what the platform allows to be disseminated, with particular concern regarding the reemergence of dangerous conspiracy theorists.