It looks like Musk is going to get his wish to acquire Twitter and take it private. Reports have indicated that Twitter has accepted his offer and he will be buying the company for around $44 billion.
Musk has said that he sees Twitter as a 'town square' and thinks that the protection of this platform is key to defending free speech, which is something he has asserted is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.
They've reportedly got plans to authenticate all humans and get rid of spam bots from the platform, and the move to buy the platform hasn't come without a great deal of criticism. Those who are against the buyout have said Musk just wants to give free reign to people to say whatever they want when he has been very clear that this isn't the case.
“It’s just really important that people have the reality and the perception that they’re able to speak freely within the bounds of the law,” - Musk
So, no he doesn't just want to offer a platform for anyone to say whatever they want when that could be harmful to others and something that is prohibited.
Twitter isn't the most popular social media platform today and there are a variety of criticisms it has faced over the years including the one surrounding censorship. They've got a great deal of work to do if they want to truly turn it around in a significant way.
For many people who use social media regularly Twitter isn't relevant to their lives, it isn't their town square.
The news to buy has been celebrated by many Twitter users already and might even cause a few to leave the platform who aren't happy about it. Musk has encouraged those critics to stay on Twitter however, suggesting that this is what free speech means.
Sources:
https://www.engadget.com/twitter-elon-musk-buyout-offer-decision-185307689.html
https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/25/23028323/elon-musk-twitter-offer-buyout-hostile-takeover-ownership
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/twitter-elon-musk-sale-buys-b2065182.html
Twitter is not a town square. It's just a place where journalists, activists, trolls, and bots gather to communicate in an unhealthy and miserable fashion.
Those who want to communicate about things that are productive and enjoyable are not going to get it on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter... it's more niched. The only reason to create accounts on those platforms is to get people to come to the niched platforms and then eventually come back for more without needing Twitter as a referral source.
Just heard it on the news. That means soon many people have funds coming available to other opportunity soon
Clearly there are multiple public fora today, as there always has been. Free speech was never limited to the town square. But today all public fora, including Hive, are being subjected to censorship unprecedented in history. Musk is a master of the art of trolling. His wealth is more dependent on his PR than his engineering skill. I doubt this was a sudden whim, but part of a plan that will make him money.
It is obvious to me that any company or individual that invites the public to post on their platform has an obligation to respect the free speech of it's users. That is the difference between being a platform and a publisher, which all social media companies abuse today. Worse, governments obliged to protect the privacy and speech of their citizens have been abusing them by hiring private companies, or foreign governments, to do the dirty work for them. Musk has created opportunities to reverse these policies - while gaining a global following of fanatic zealots.
It's naught but dullards that cannot anticipate he's going to make free speech an issue that will boil blood globally, and likely will advance the growth of Starlink, while presenting an incredible opportunity to advance pseudonymity instead of biometric panoptic ID, an issue which I believe of existential import to humanity today because the WEF and their captive national governments are trying to tag us like cattle.
If Musk plays this right he could well be the first President of Earth.
And Mars.
Thanks!