Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a statement to Twitter advertisers following news that his deal for the platform was going through that he acquired the platform “because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square.”
Musk tweeted his statement to Twitter advertisers Thursday morning, explaining why he decided to buy Twitter to begin with and what his goals are for advertisements on the platform. Musk said he bought Twitter to create a free speech space where people from the whole political spectrum could engage in open “dialogue.”
The Tesla CEO also said he hopes to see Twitter grow into “the most respected advertising platform in the world” with “highly relevant ads” for all users.
He began by saying most speculation about his motivations has been inaccurate. “The reason I acquired Twitter is … to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.”
Musk said there is “great danger” now that social media “will splinter” into “echo chambers” for the more extreme elements of both political factions. He expressed concern that this could “generate more hate and divide our society.”
Traditional media “fueled and catered to those polarized extremes” in pursuit of clicks and money, Musk continued.
“That is why I bought Twitter. I didn’t do it because it would be easy” or a money-maker. “I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.”
Musk continued: “I also very much believe that advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain, and inform you.” He added, “Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content!”
The Tesla CEO ended, “To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together.”
Part of Musk’s motivation in buying Twitter would also seem to be his value for humor on the platform. Satire site The Babylon Bee was censored by Twitter, and the site’s CEO Seth Dillon said Musk talked to him before deciding to purchase the platform. Musk himself changed his Twitter bio to “Chief Twit” on Wednesday and tweeted a video of himself entering Twitter headquarters with a sink, commenting, “Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!”
Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
Time will tell if Musk’s leadership will finally usher in a new era of free speech on a platform that suffered from a sordid obsession with censoring conservative opinions it didn’t like.
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.
