Tesla CEO Elon Musk may be famous for his tweets, but that hasn’t stopped him from wondering if it’s time to replace the platform.
Twitter often sparks controversy for its attempts to walk the line between free speech and moderating extreme content, attempts that are often not as successful as the company would like. Even Musk doesn’t appear to be a fan, posting a poll asking whether his followers thought Twitter rigorously adheres to the principles of free speech. At the time of writing, just over 70% of his followers voted “No.”
In response, Musk asked what should be done.
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?
Is a new platform needed?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk), March 26, 2022
It’s unclear if Musk is serious about a new platform being an option, but he did tease a level of seriousness when posting the initial poll.
“The consequences of this poll will be important,” Musk wrote. “Please vote carefully.”
Despite some displeasure with Twitter, the tech mogul’s tweets weren’t taken well by many users, some of whom pointed out Musk’s own history of firing employees for negatively reviewing Tesla and its tech. Still others pointed out that companies are not required to guarantee free speech in the same way the government is, and are free to enforce terms of service.
