Is Elon Musk Going to Destroy Twitter? Or Save It?

Musk’s critics are in a tailspin; his fans are ecstatic. Who’s right?

Photo by Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash.

“I love Twitter. Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness,” tweeted the former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey on April 25 at 9:41 PM.

Lately, Jack Dorsey has been a bit cagey; first saying too little, then saying too much, then refusing to elaborate, This particular tweet was accompanied by a song: Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place”.

This time, it seemed, Dorsey would not leave his followers guessing as to his thoughts on the future of Twitter.

“The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both,” Dorsey commented on his original post. “Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.”

“In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter,” Dorsey continued on the thread. “It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.”

“Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is ‘maximally trusted and broadly inclusive’ is the right one,” added Dorsey. “This is also @paraga’s goal, and why I chose him. Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation. This is the right path…I believe it with all my heart.”

“I’m so happy Twitter will continue to serve the public conversation,” he concluded. “Around the world, and into the stars!”

The news that Elon Musk has bought Twitter has been met with celebration in some sectors, less so in others. Plenty of journalists, Twitter blue-checks, Hollywood celebrities and other social elites are firmly against the sale, promising to flee the platform and sell their Teslas.

Until five minutes ago, Elon Musk was beloved of the liberal left, an honorary member of Hollywood royalty, a Silicon Valley billionaire and the undisputed King of Electric Cars. Now, Musk has made himself a target with his acquisition of Twitter and statements like this: