Could pro-free speech changes to censorship-heavy Twitter be on the way? Tech billionaire Elon Musk is now not only the biggest Twitter shareholder, he is joining the social media company’s board.
The Tesla CEO and Big Tech censorship critic reportedly became Twitter’s largest shareholder this week. Musk owns “73,486,938” shares, totalling a sizable “9.2%” of Twitter’s stock as of March 14, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing dated April 4.
Musk’s potential leverage at Twitter just increased, however, as Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal announced on April 5 that Musk will be joining Twitter’s board.
Agrawal tweeted, “I’m excited to share that we’re appointing @elonmusk to our board! Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board.” The Twitter CEO added, “He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term. Welcome Elon!”
Musk responded to Agrawal’s announcement in the same Twitter thread with a statement that indicated the Big Tech critic is hoping to help make important changes to the social media platform. “Looking forward to working with Parag & Twitter board to make significant improvements to Twitter in coming months!” Musk exclaimed in a tweet.
Wedbush Managing Director Dan Ives, among others, already highlighted how important Musk’s large share in Twitter could be when he reportedly told CNBC that the purchase “‘could lead to some sort of buyout.’”
Agrawal, no stranger to leftist calls for suppressing content, has openly supported increased censorship in past statements. “Our role is not to be bound by the First Amendment,” Agrawal said, adding, “Where our role is particularly emphasized is who can be heard.”
Musk has repeatedly bashed Twitter’s censorship-heavy stance recently, including slamming Twitter for censoring online discourse recently. Musk even considered starting his own social media platform. Musk has supported free speech, including in a March 25 tweet where he said, “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy.”
He tweeted a poll asking if people thought Twitter adhered to free speech, adding, “The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.” Musk also tweeted on March 26, “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy.”
Conservatives are under attack. Contact Twitter at (415) 222-9670 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
