Musk is giving serious thought to building his own social media platform.
The billionaire serial entrepreneur who is CEO of Space X and is also a billionaire, said that failing to adhere to free speech principles undermines democracy.
If your blood pressure went up, you are not alone. Let's take a deep breath. We probably won't see an app called DogeSoci any time soon.
Musk has a history of faking shock when U.S. regulators react with more than a raised eyebrow. Musk's track record isn't great when it comes to following through on his ideas.
This isn't the first time that Musk has fantasized about being the next Jack Dorsey.
Musk promised to launch a website called Pravda, the Russian word for "truth", after journalists criticized him for his management choices. Musk's website would allow the public to rate journalists, editors and media outlets on their credibility scores.
Musk's sudden deep and genuine concern about Twitter's fairness "as the de facto town square" is just like his 2018 concerns about media accuracy/objectivity: a deeply hypocritical ploy to shore up his (and his followers) absurd persecution fantasy. https://t.co/cZIicOVTzb
— E.W. Niedermeyer (@Tweetermeyer) March 27, 2022
When Musk's ideas get off the ground, they have fallen short of being the next SpaceX.
A big year for his antics, as well as a new comedy company called Thud, was announced by Musk. I contacted all 13 former employees of Musk's company to find out if they had any interest in comedy media.
No one would talk to me on the record. The former employees of Theranos can relate to the fact that Thud flopped and was then reduced to a conversation starter on his resume. It's no wonder that these writers and designers didn't want to revisit Thud.
Initially, Musk funneled $2 million into Thud, but he left the company abruptly, leaving its editors with no plan to monetize the project.
The editor of the site said that making a swift transition from being a billionaire-backed project to an independent media company was necessary.
There isn't need to panic about Musk's sudden interest in creating a social media empire because of his history of making outrageous statements online for the fun of it. There is no guarantee that a platform will take off. Donald Trump's own new app, Truth Social, may feel like it's poised to become a mainstream 4chan app, but weeks after launch, we're still on the waiting list. The party doesn't seem to be too exciting if you're into hot girls golfing.
Musk wouldn't have the same level of reach on his own social media platform. He has 79.4 million followers and is in the top 10 most-followed users on the site. Musk uses his following to make Hitler jokes and compare his new CEO to Joseph Stalin. As Musk complains that he is not allowed to speak freely, the platform didn't take down the foul messages, he deleted his Hitler meme, and the dig at Agrawal is still up.
This isn't a free speech issue, it's just Musk's dislike for regulation. Even if Musk's followers migrate over to his new platform, the SEC could still hold him accountable for any information he shares.
Musk doesn't seem to gain anything by trying to start a new company, even though the SEC would still monitor it.
We shouldn't be concerned about the threat posed by egomaniacal men in power who are wealthy enough to make their dreams a reality.
Musk seems to be better at business than Trump. Sometimes, Musk's statements on social media do nothing but create dialogue, and sometimes they just fall with a thud.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
