Elon Musk said he is “seriously considering” building a social media network to compete with Twitter, which he claims stifles free speech.
“Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?” Musk tweeted on Thursday.
It Didn’t Stop There…
Musk took it to another level tweeting the following day, “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy.
What should be done?”
The Tesla CEO was also questioned about the possibility of “creating a new social media platform” that would use “an open-source algorithm” in the same discussion by a Twitter user.
In the words of one of user, the new platform should be one “where free expression with adherence to free speech is given top importance,” and where “propaganda is kept to an absolute minimum.”
Musk responded by saying, “I’m giving it some serious consideration.”
Some have requested Musk buy out Twitter and move to a more egalitarian and First Amendment-friendly model for the platform.
While it seems from Elon’s tone he leans toward creating something new, we can’t help but recall what Jack Dorsey was seeking with Blue Sky.
We know there is a relationship there going back to ”the talk” and will be interesting to see how this develops and if these two great minds collaborate.
Bitcoin Fixes This
Best Selling Author and Clinical Psychologist turned Bitcoiner, Jordan Peterson, along with MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, proposed the integration of the Lightning Network in order to protect users from spam and scammers using the identity of others.
The Speech Police Creating Competitors
Some conservatives and free speech supporters have accused tech firms such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Amazon of excluding users who hold controversial political views off their platforms.
Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said last year that his firm made a mistake when it blocked a report from the New York Post concerning Hunter Biden’s laptop during the weeks preceding the presidential election.
The former president, who was banned from major social media sites after the Capitol debacle on January 6th, founded his own network, Truth Social, which touted itself as a conservative alternative to Twitter.
The app soared to the top of Apple’s free applications list, only days after Trump made his single post on the site, in which he promised followers that “your favorite president will see you soon.”
Technical difficulties, a long waiting list to become a member, a decrease in the stock price, and Trump’s apparent indifference in sending comments have all contributed to the app’s slow spread.
Itchy Twitter fingers have also gotten Musk into trouble, yet he is the world’s wealthiest person, and he doesn’t respect the SEC.
Earlier this week, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed documents in Manhattan federal court stating that Tesla CEO Elon Musk was obliged by a 2018 agreement to get authorization in advance before making certain types of tweets.
Tesla said that the SEC requested “details on our governance procedures surrounding compliance” in November, in accordance with a September 2018 settlement between the firm and the regulator.
This came only ten days after Musk sparked a stock sell-off by asking his Twitter followers whether he should sell 10% of his share in the firm, prompting the subpoena to be issued.
Following Musk’s tweet, the company’s stock price fell by around 16% over the next two days.
Regardless of your opinion on Elon, he isn’t selling his Bitcoin and his disrespect of the state is admirable.
