Elon Musk revealed a observe addressed to Twitter advertisers on his account this morning, the day sooner than his court-ordered deadline to close his $44 billion acquisition of the social media platform. Throughout the fast cope with, Musk — who’s at current in San Francisco and spending the week at Twitter HQ — explains to Twitter advertisers why he’s motivated to buy the platform.
“There was quite a bit speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I consider selling,” Musk wrote. “Most of it has been mistaken.”
Musk repeated among the many most important talking components that he has been stating since he first launched the acquisition in April. He believes in Twitter’s potential as a “widespread digital metropolis sq.,” nevertheless he’s apprehensive that “social media will splinter into far correct wing and far left wing echo chambers” as typical media continues in the direction of its “relentless pursuit of clicks.”
“That’s the rationale I bought Twitter. I didn’t do it on account of it could possibly be simple. I didn’t to it to earn more cash,” he outlined. “I did it to try to help humanity, whom I actually like.”
None of these declarations are considerably illuminating — Musk talked about in April that he “doesn’t care about the economics” of buying Twitter. Spending $44 billion on a struggling enterprise isn’t the most effective enterprise switch, however it absolutely’s one factor you can accomplish out of a approach of warped obligation to humanity if you find yourself the richest man on the planet (and in the end on our neighboring red planet too, almost definitely).
Nevertheless Musk actually slipped in a single factor proper right here that’s mildly reassuring, though it’s usually an issue to take him at his word.
Musk has commonly touted the importance of free speech in his acquisition of Twitter, even mentioning it in his letter to the company board when he first launched his intent to amass the platform.
“I invested in Twitter as I think about in its potential to be the platform for gratis speech throughout the globe, and I think about free speech is a societal essential for a functioning democracy,” Musk wrote in April. “Nonetheless, since making my funding I now discover the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal essential in its current sort.”
“… Twitter has extraordinary potential,” he added. “I’ll unlock it.”
However Twitter’s current content material materials pointers aren’t as stringent as his declarations would lead you to think about. Previous prohibiting criminality, the platform bans hateful conduct (attacking or threatening of us based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, incapacity, and plenty of others.), depictions of graphic violence, promotion of suicide or self-harm, and plenty of others. The platform doesn’t even censor pornographic content material materials, so long as it doesn’t appear in a dwell video or a profile header.
In proper now’s letter, though, Musk seems to be significantly aware of the reality that “one thing goes!” is a content material materials moderation protection that’s doomed to fail.
“Twitter clearly can’t transform a free-for-all hellscape, the place one thing could be talked about with no penalties!” he wrote. “Together with adhering to the authorized pointers of the land, our platform need to be warmth and welcoming to all, the place you probably can choose your required experience consistent with your preferences, merely as you probably can choose, as an example, to see movies or play video video video games ranging from all ages to mature.”
It’s unclear how he plans to make Twitter “warmth and welcoming,” though, with out flouting content material materials pointers that aim to protect the most vulnerable users on the platform.
He ends the letter by telling advertisers that Twitter aspires to “be most likely essentially the most revered selling platform on the earth that strengthens your mannequin and grows your enterprise.”
Lastly, I’ve to take a cheap shot… Musk didn’t use alt text when posting these three text-heavy screenshots of his letter to advertisers this morning. To be truthful, most people I observe don’t repeatedly use alt text (but they should!), so it’s a good probability to call our presumptive fowl app overlord in. Hey, Elon! Should you occur to truly want Twitter to be a public metropolis sq., it’s best to make use of alt textual content material to ensure that folk with vision-related disabilities can engage inside the dialog too!
