Will Elon Musk Open His Own Social Media Platform?

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition March 9, 2020, in Washington. U.S. securities regulators say, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, they have legal authority to subpoena Tesla and CEO Elon Musk about his tweets. The Securities and Exchange Commission also says in court documents that Musk’s move to throw out a 2018 agreement that his tweets be pre-approved is not valid. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted that he may be thinking of opening his own social media platform after criticizing Twitter for suppressing free speech.

In a post sent to his millions of Twitter followers, Musk asked if a “new platform” is needed over Twitter’s “failing” to protect free speech.

“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?” Musk asked.

More than 2 million people participated in a Twitter poll made about the question, with 70.4% saying that Twitter does not adhere to the idea that free speech is essential to a functioning democracy.

If Musk does wind up opening his own social platform, it would probably have the best chance of succeeding, compared to various other spinoffs that have opened in response to Twitter’s rules, including Gettr and former President Trump’s TRUTH Social.

Regardless of his quirkiness, Musk has one of the strongest track records as a revolutionary visionary, and a social media platform created by the eccentric billionaire would attract a lot of attention and likely millions of users.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)