Musk is rumored to be the new owner of the social media platform.
On Monday, news emerged that the board of the company had decided to accept Musk's offer of roughly $44 billion to buy the company.
He said in a statement that free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy and that the digital town square is where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.
His actions force us to question his commitment. Several publications have pointed out that the billionaire CEO has a long history of lashing out at journalists and forcing employees to sign gag orders.
Techdirt points out that Musk's simplistic view of free speech on social media could cause the industry to go back to its early days.
He said that he wants to create an inclusive arena for free speech where people are able to speak freely.
It is exactly the kind of wording that tech CEOs founded their social media companies on. Reality is far messier than that, as Musk has found out while dealing with harassers and bots on the platform.
Musk has donated millions of dollars to the American Civil Liberties Union, but he has failed to show the same regard for speech that goes against his own.
It's not unusual for companies to keep employees silent. Workers must sign nondisclosure agreements if they want to keep their jobs.
He lashed out at perceived enemies. There was Vernon Unsworth, a British caver who helped rescue 12 trapped boys in a Thai cave.
The billionaire wanted to send a submarine to help the trapped boys, but Unsworth called him a PR stunt.
Musk tried to walk back the insult that turned into a lawsuit.
Jack Sweeney is a teenager who runs an account that tracks Musk's private jet, and Musk tried to pay him to stop the project.
The billionaire CEO tried to undermine the credibility of journalists and publications by calling for a media credibility rating site in a year when Donald Trump was president.
It seems strange for someone who claims to be a free speech absolutist to block several accounts, including Sweeney's, on the social media platform.
Without getting into his applause line, he'll be able to eliminate the bot armies that are on the social networking site. Techdirt points out that free speech is being violated by scam bots.
The richest man in the world, who is already heavily involved in the day to day of several other massive companies, will have enough will to see any serious changes through.
Right now, who will carry out his wishes is a question mark. Musk's acquisition has already proven to be unpopular among many employees, who are now worried the years of hard work they put in to establish an inclusive and open place could be undone.
Musk says he wants free speech, but his track record suggests otherwise.
More on the Musk acquisition.
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