Don't flee Twitter because of Elon Musk just yet. Here's why.
There's no need to freak out over Elon Musk buying Twitter. He's all hype.
We don't know what Elon Musk will do to Twitter. You can't trust what he says. Credit: Sheldon Cooper / SOPA Images / LightRocket Via Getty Images |
Just because Elon says it doesn't mean it's true.
Elon Musk is the "genius" co-founder of Tesla, according to his bio on the company website. Except he isn't a founder at all, joining well after Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning created Tesla in 2003. Musk's fans may admire him for building SpaceX, a space exploration company, however, that company's success was made possible through billions in government funding — subsidies Musk later said shouldn't exist (for others, of course).
Musk boasted about sending ventilators to hospitals during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, but he didn't. In Oct. 2021, Musk told the U.N.'s World Food Programme that if they provided him with a plan of action, he'd donate $6 billion to make it happen. When the director of the program stepped up with more information, Musk went silent on the issue. To date, he never donated.
I could go on as there are plenty of examples like this, but my point is: Elon Musk is nothing but a hype man. There's no need to worry about his takeover of Twitter. At least, not yet.
Here's why.
The art of the deal
You might think Elon Musk is now running Twitter after hearing the news that Twitter had accepted the billionaire's offer to buy the company. The jubilant reactions from Musk fanboys and conservatives who buy his "free speech" credo might lead you to believe this, too. The truth is that the deal has not been finalized. Musk doesn't own Twitter yet. In fact, it'll probably be months before the deal is done.
Hell, the deal might not even go through. I'm not prognosticating and claiming it won't. I'm saying it's a simple fact that the possibility exists that Musk will not end up owning Twitter. It could happen. Some have even laid out exactly how it could possibly go down.
Musk's offer for Twitter was $44 billion but where will those funds come from? He doesn't have that much in liquid assets. Some of that buyout price will come from the Tesla stock he will sell off. Another chunk will be provided by bank financing. But that won't cover it all. Does he have investors already lined up? Even if he does, people can pull out. Things can change.
The platforms
Let's say everything does go according to plan and Musk ends up owning Twitter. Let's also go along with his commitment to change Twitter policy in the name of "free speech." His fans believe this will mean a return to a more unregulated social media forum; one where previously moderated accounts and offensive content, much of which would be categorized as hate speech and attacks on marginalized groups, would be allowed on the platform. Also, previously banned users would be allowed to rejoin.
Even if all this happens, Musk's Twitter will still be beholden to other big tech companies, such as Apple and Google, that it depends on to distribute its services. For an example of how this could play out, look no further than what happened last year to the conservative social media platform, Parler.
Apple and Google have an absolute stranglehold on the mobile market. If you want your service to be successful, it's necessary that its mobile app is distributed via the App Store (and to a lesser extent, the Google Play store). Parler, after failing to moderate its platform, ended up violating both company's policies and, as a result, the social media app was removed from both app stores. Even Amazon ended up giving Parler the boot from its Amazon Web Services hosting platform.
In order to get back on to the App Store, Parler had to abide by Apple's terms and reconfigure its own platform's policies for Apple's approval.
Now, I'm not saying these other companies will "save" you from Musk's Twitter. That's ridiculous. But it's a fact that Twitter will need to rely on third-party platforms and if Musk wants his Twitter to be successful, he'll have to play ball with their rules, too.
It's business
In the end, Twitter is a business. The purpose of all the hype Elon Musk generates is to make him more money. Musk has money on the line here — he has bank financing to think about. Being that he'll likely need to bring in outside investors to help him foot the bill, they'll want a return on their investment. Tesla stock has already taken a hit since Musk announced his Twitter takeover bid over concerns he'll be splitting his time even further between his companies.
We've seen billionaires who are new to the social media business crash and burn when entering the space before. When Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought MySpace in 2005, effectively beginning its demise, the ruination of the platform wasn't because of ideological reasons or terrible users joining the platform. MySpace died because News Corp. did not understand the social media space and business went bad as a result. Based on Musk's lackluster takes on content moderation and engagement, he doesn't seem to get the industry either.
If Twitter under Musk changes its policies so dramatically that it further fills with bad actors, white supremacists, hate speech, and other noxious content, the company will likely lose business. Brands would likely deactivate their accounts and take their advertising dollars elsewhere. Not only would left-leaning users leave the platform, but even apolitical users might flee, too. Twitter would lose money.
There is no denying Twitter is important. People have built careers thanks to networking on the platform. Activists have used it as a tool to organize and spread the word on truly important social justice issues. News outlets have found sources for important stories on the social network. There is truly concern for what can happen to Twitter under Musk, especially based on his recent incendiary tweets.
But Elon Musk has way more to lose here than Twitter's users do. And any users that do leave Twitter now based on what Musk says are giving him way too much credit. Remember, he's all hype! He's basking in the attention he's receiving for, frankly, being an asshole.
If Musk's worst tendencies don't prevail and Twitter basically remains at least the same as it is now, then its users will be just fine. And, if Musk tanks the Twitter business and the social media site fails, Twitter's users will be just fine, too. On the flip side, Musk will have lost billions, possibly even bringing his other companies, like Tesla, down with it. Most importantly, his ego will have taken a hit. Can you imagine his reaction to a very public failure?
And, come on, admit it... that would be really funny to watch.
I think you have it backwards. I wouldn't be leaving Twitter because of Elon Musk. He might be a reason for me to come back. So I won't freak out just yet about Mashabale now becoming a clearly biased rag instead of delivering tech news.
ReplyDeleteNever have i ever trusted a biased media source even if they were siding with what i believe in, their job should be to deliver news and it's up to viewers to build their opinions upon it. unfortunately not just Mashabale that is biased but most media sources if not all of them.
DeleteFrom the article: "especially based on his recent incendiary tweets." They then show an image of how the left has become increasingly radical and showing how due to that shift Musk is now right of center. How is that incendiary? It is factual but doesn't align with the radical views of the author.
ReplyDeletetotalitarianism right bookend radical left.
Deletehttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totalitarianism
Think of what the $$ could have done by way of educating children about history and what it means to live in a representative democracy and participating in it?
ReplyDeleteFree speech comes with responsibility. It's not illegal for you to yell fire in a crowded theater even if it's proven that there is no fire. But if people are trampled to death in the following panic you can and should be held responsible for spreading the lies that caused death and or destruction of property.
A free and open twitter maximizes the possibilities for people learning about diverse ideas online free of cost and keeping up with world events. That’s crucial in a democracy. Musk isn’t the department of education, his job isn’t to educate kids.
DeleteIt also opens up anyone to say anything and claim it's the truth. The earth is flat, don't you know, and the media is in league with the Rothschilds and the Secret Society of World Leaders and Science to perpetuate the lie that it isn't. They even faked the moon landing...
DeleteIt may not be Musk's "job" to educate our children, my point is that that kind of money could go a long way in helping end ignorance. Because if you don't believe the world is flat, you are going to die a painful death when you fall off the edge.
Twitter is the de facto online town square. People have a right to say ludicrous and stupid stuff in the town square as long as they’re not hurting anyone. I don’t recall twitter’s mission being to contain only true facts like some sort of opinion encyclopaedia.
DeleteWe should consider that people also have a personal responsibility to not act on every stupid thing they read/hear. If someone says water is poisonous and I stop drinking water until I die, that’s my fault 1000%
I think it is ilegal to yell fire in a crowded theater...and if injuries occur...you are liable for that too
DeleteOn the other side. He just gave over 40 Billion to the people at Twitter. Why don't you get them to give their money they just got from the sale to a cause.
DeleteMusk always delivers on his hype. Often years late, but he gets it done eventually. His acquisition of Twitter isn’t good news for anyone concerned - including Musk.
ReplyDeleteOh well, time to leave this rag now. Mashable, how unfortunate you taken to the dark side. I will be contacting someone in charge to ensure this is their stance and not one of some crappy social media employee.
ReplyDeleteMusk is basically a rich, entitled secondhand car salesman. He's a bullshitter and a conman, yet some people seem to like him. Odd. He's the US version of Richard Branson....both total
ReplyDeletehe’s worse than Branson for sure. A vile human and just plain weird
Deletethe guy who created Space X Starlink and Tesla is a conman? You must be high on something.
DeleteUm people who were banned from Twitter are allowed back on Twitter . Its a start
ReplyDeletehaha not to mention he delivers pretty awesome cars
Deletehe doesn't own the company yet and anyone unbanned was done so under the existing TOS
Deletelol he owns the company bro and if anyone keeps banning folks jusyt because the staff disagrees with opposing views they are likely to be the forst out the door
Deleteif they were all of a sudden unbanned and magically have thousands more followers than a few days ago, the timing is at the very least suspect.
DeleteI'm willing to believe that their follower counts have increased organically as more on the right join the platform. I'm not disagreeing with that. But as for why they were unbanned, if you give me some examples of well know accounts I'm happy to try and track down Twitter's actual reason for it.
DeleteI wonder if he’s going to lift the bans he put in place for his own personal account. For someone so down with “free speech” he certainly didn’t want to hear it on his page
DeleteBanning and blocking are two separate things
DeleteStone just got cancelled again...hahahaha.
DeleteHa ha! I’m laughing at the people leaving because they oppose free speech! ❄️. Not a laughing matter though. Glad to see someone with the means doing something about it!
ReplyDeleteWhy would it be a reason to leave Twitter if he delivers on his promises, though? There's nothing in what he's said that would make it a worse platform.
ReplyDeleteI think it is time to leave Mashable.
ReplyDeleteDid or did he not say that he will send rockets into low orbit? Is he doing it?
Did or did he not say that he will send people into space? Is he doing it?
Did or did he not revolutionised the motor industry?
Mashable is becoming a laughing stock of mediocre tech journalism.
What are you even talking about? I’m 1000% no fan of Musk as a person but he most definitely delivers the tangibles in business
ReplyDeleteI’m just curious what is your problem with Musk as a person?
DeleteMusk delivered the leading auto and battery companies in the world, build Space X and now satellite internet for the World! This NOT HYPE but reality!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd what Mashable delivered besides Woke BS? Not even tech news any more! I am leaving YOU!
Who is the writer for mashable? Clearly, they have issues...or maybe just mis informed.
ReplyDeletehttps://giphy.com/gifs/cat-ehcat-netizen-dwEweAW0zXcGQupuAC
biased asshats
DeleteLol wouldn’t I have to gaf about Twitter to begin with?
ReplyDelete"Rarely does what he says". He sold his firat video game for 7 figures at 15.
ReplyDeleteThus dude built paypal. Tried to buy Russian ICBMs to convert to rockets. They wanted 80 million , he said "Screw you, ill build them for less" and did. Like 7 million each.
He the first and only profitable Electric car company.
If anyrhing, he does what he says he will.
says the one who started spreading the anti musk takeover 🤣🤣🤣🤣. IDK why are you guys worried he will just make it better he hasn’t even taken over yet
ReplyDeleterarely ever delivers? Shut the front door. U try sending rockets to space and only then report back to us.
ReplyDeleteChina is buying twitter lol!
ReplyDeleteI left a long time ago. I'm on Facebook because this is where my friends and family are.
ReplyDeletehe has literally BOUGHT. right?
ReplyDeleteRarely ever delivers what he promises?
ReplyDeleteNope just Zip2, Paypal, Tesla, SpaceX, Boring. Think he gifted Hyperloop to the world, didn't deliver there.
Imagine writing that and thinking it is legit.
then they call others out for disinformation.
DeleteRead up on:
DeleteThe US and dozens of other governments around the world pledged to keep the internet “open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure.”
Yeah, taking these down to prevent the spread.
ReplyDeletehttps://giphy.com/gifs/snl-saturday-night-live-bill-hader-2UvAUplPi4ESnKa3W0
ReplyDeleteYeah that’s why he’s considered a genius. May be not though. I guess you want to land people on Mars too!
ReplyDeleteHhmmmmm. I don’t Think So
ReplyDeleteHe's talking about Buying Coca-Cola... what should we do?
ReplyDeletethat is a joke because people are saying he should buy this or buy that. And he is joining fun of that . He has a sense of humor about it .
Deletedrink Pepsi
DeleteTesla investors and the SEC love his jokes.
DeleteSo Why he hides his eyes with dark sunclasses? He want to control the people. In fact he want to be God and if needed he will pay for that........smile
ReplyDeleteGoodbye Mashable
ReplyDeleteFor the amount of people that whine in Mashable comment threads, they sure do love coming back to whine some more.
ReplyDeleteStill waiting for cyber truck 🛻
ReplyDeleteMashable SB
ReplyDeletehttps://media1.tenor.co/images/763551db8d3f5becbb145345ea24c011/tenor.gif?c=VjFfZmFjZWJvb2tfd2ViY29tbWVudHM&itemid=22118962
Maybe it can go back to fair and balanced vs the left wing gestapo only? They are crying at twitter HQ, the moment you know your extreme left wing utopia is crumbling. 😂😂😂
ReplyDeleteit’s not another one of your GQP false equivalency/both sides bs talking points. There’s verifiable facts/objective reality and then there’s right wing disinformation/lies and unfounded conspiracy theory. There can be no “fair and balanced” approach or platform with that. You can’t put liars and frauds on an equal footing with a factual understanding of reality.
DeleteHa Ha not one leftist believes this stupid article. They know he is the man & he has made the sicko leftist into total cry babies. It was ok for them to f over ppl for a yr & a half now but now ALL THE REAL MIS OR DIS INFORMATION by these liars will b coming out, & their ALL paniced about it. Just goes to show they have plenty of dirt they want hidden.
ReplyDeleteFox News is Ecstatic https://www.foxbusiness.com/.../elon-musk-tweets-meme...
ReplyDeletePeople will join twitter more because of Elon
ReplyDeleteWhy is the left so terrified of free speech?
ReplyDeletethe hyope is the reaction from the far left leaning folks
ReplyDeleteGood jod
ReplyDeleteTesla, SpaceX, Solar City, Neuralink, Starlink, Boring Company and.... many $$$ billions rich.
ReplyDelete"Musk is a hype man who rarely ever delivers what he promises" is what makes me think why do I follow your page ? Reads like propaganda radio. 🙁
Is Mashable going to join the Nazi disinformation campaign sponsored by Herr Biden?
ReplyDeleteROFLMAO - Dems are so torn
ReplyDeleteFor God's sake Mashable... STOP WHINING
ReplyDeleteThis liberal thinks its a good thing. Republicans are incapable of being quiet..so allowing them to spew their hate, lies, and rhetoric will simply allow us dems to implicate and arrest them more easily. Talk away repubs. Your cells are ready.
ReplyDelete