Elon Musk “freed” Twitter and became a threat to Biden

On October 28, 2022, a number of American publications announced the official completion of the deal for the purchase of Twitter by billionaire Elon Musk. According to media reports, after acquiring the social network, the businessman immediately fired the company’s management. Musk commented on the closing of the deal with a post on Twitter: “The bird is free.” The billionaire has repeatedly criticized the politics of the social network due to the restriction of freedom of speech. The entrepreneur believes that anyone should be able to speak their mind openly on a platform like Twitter. Will the billionaire be able to restore freedom of speech on the social network? And how might the Musk deal affect the November 2022 US congressional election? We tell in the material REN TV.

Finally and irrevocably

Billionaire Elon Musk has officially closed the deal to acquire the social network Twitter for $ 44 billion and led the company. On October 28, 2022, a number of American publications reported this, citing sources.

According to Reuters, the entrepreneur’s first step was to fire the former management of Twitter: CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and chief legal officer Vijay Gadde. The agency noted that Agrawal and Seagal were at the headquarters in San Francisco, but they were escorted out when the deal was closed.

At the same time, Musk denied the information about the dismissal of the majority of Twitter employees. The businessman said that he would not cut 75% of the staff when he headed the company.

It is assumed that Musk will take on the role of interim CEO, although in the long term he may appoint someone else to this post, writes Bloomberg, citing sources.

“Bird on the loose”

Elon Musk commented on the completion of the deal to buy the company on his Twitter account, which the businessman had previously criticized for restricting freedom of speech. “Bird on the loose”the billionaire wrote.

On October 27, Musk also posted a video of himself visiting Twitter’s headquarters office holding a sink. And before that, he changed the status on his page, calling himself Chief Twit – can be translated as “chief on tweets” or perceived as a pun: “chief nerd”.

The businessman noted that he decided to acquire Twitter so that people would get a digital platform for discussing different opinions. There is a risk, he said, of social media splitting into “far-right and far-left echo chambers” that create more hatred and divide society.

The media also noted that Musk could unblock the account of former US President Donald Trump. However, the billionaire himself has not yet commented on this information.

“Reckless liberals have left Twitter”

Elon Musk identifies as a “free speech absolutist” and has repeatedly criticized Twitter’s content moderation policy in the past. According to the billionaire, the social network should be a platform within which anyone can speak openly.

“It is very important that people have a real opportunity to speak freely within the law. I think that the risk of a crisis of civilization decreases with increasing trust in Twitter as a public platform”– Musk said in an interview.

However, the media regarded this statement as “flirting with their right-wing fans.” Thus, Bloomberg noted that the lack of moderation and open access to the platform algorithm will greatly facilitate the life of spammers. In addition, according to former Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff, Elon Musk’s complete control over Twitter makes all users of the social network dependent on the whims of one person, which conflicts with the proclaimed democracy.

Back in the spring of 2022, the White House expressed concern about reports of a possible purchase of Twitter by Musk. American politicians believe that a change in the leadership of the social network could open up access to the platform for Donald Trump. And the return of a charismatic Republican ex-president to a speaking platform like Twitter potentially means big trouble for Democrats in the next presidential election.

“With the advent of Musk, the wild liberals are leaving Twitter, – wrote Senator Alexei Pushkov in his Telegram channel. – Will there be changes to the conservative side under Musk? This will be an important indicator of the ability of American conservatives to regain their positions.”.

How Musk’s Twitter Purchase Will Affect US Elections

Political scientist Sergei Markov believes that Musk’s purchase of Twitter may affect the course of the election campaign in the US congressional elections in favor of the Republicans.

“He does not want to stifle freedom of speech on Twitter, but on the contrary, to restore it. After all, messages from Donald Trump, the most popular politician in the United States, who enjoys more support than the current president, were banned on Twitter”– shared his opinion in an interview with REN TV Markov.

The political scientist noted that the majority of Americans oppose US President Joe Biden and “for” a conditional Donald Trump, a politician who could lead a political program opposite to that of Biden.

“That’s why media outlets like Twitter and key mainstream media outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post are actively cracking down on free speech.”the expert stressed.

However, according to Markov, Elon Musk will be able to restore freedom of speech on Twitter, and after that in a number of other media sectors in the United States.

“There could be such a big information wave of Biden’s opponents. And if this wave manages to rise before the November elections to the Senate and the House of Representatives of Congress, then a very serious effect can occur. Now Biden is definitely losing allies of the majority in the House of Representatives. But the Senate can also be influenced this election. Then Biden will leave in disgrace in two years.”– the political scientist believes.

Purchase History

In early April 2022, Elon Musk acquired 9.2% of Twitter, becoming the largest shareholder of the social network. After that, the billionaire announced plans to completely buy out the company. At the end of April, the businessman entered into an agreement to buy the social network for $44 billion. The deal was scheduled to close by the end of 2022.

However, after signing the deal, Musk accused Twitter management of hiding the real information about the number of bots and spam on the platform. Recall that in his Twitter account, the entrepreneur has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the dominance of bots and dead accounts, which he promised to defeat after acquiring the company. The billionaire announced his intention to terminate the agreement, which led to the collapse of the company’s shares by 6.5%.

On July 13, Twitter management sued Elon Musk to force him to complete the deal. The document said that the businessman “refuses to fulfill his obligations to Twitter and its shareholders because the deal he signed no longer serves his personal interests.” After that, Musk filed a counterclaim against the company, and then terminated the agreement with Twitter to merge on new grounds. But later, the billionaire was ordered to complete the deal to acquire the social network.

On October 5, it became known that Twitter accepted Elon Musk’s offer to acquire the company for $44 billion. After the billionaire’s offer, Twitter’s share price soared.