In response to the series of Twitter Files Tweets from Michael Shellenberger, the new Twitter CEO had some incredible accusations. Elon Musk says that the government paid Twitter millions of dollars to censor information from the public.
The beginning tenure of the new Twitter CEO has had no shortage of controversy. Amidst drama surrounding the platform’s subscription service, mass layoffs, and resignations, Musk has embroiled the platform in controversy in an attempt to adhere to his vision. He did this while also candidly speaking of mistakes made by the previous regime.
Musk Calls Out Government Influence over Twitter
There is no understating of the natural divisiveness of Elon Musk. The world’s richest man spearheaded the $44 billion acquisition of the social media platform and is now going about reshaping it. In doing so, Musk has not been shy to call out where the platform has gone wrong in the past.
That has taken a new turn today, as he has spoken openly in response to the recent Twitter Files thread from Michael Shellenberger. In that response, Elon Musk stated that the government paid Twitter millions of dollars to censor information from the public.
The accusation is certainly a concerning one and speaks to Musk’s attempts to build a new kind of Twitter. Moreover, they benefit from his attempt to separate the current and past regimes and how they will construct the platform.
Musk has been an undeniable and unrelenting champion of free speech. His decisions have come from a place to ensure that the current system and censorship accusations of Twitter aren’t present for him. However, his methods have driven a divided opinion on his actions.
Just this week, a Twitter poll constructed by Musk asked users if they wanted him to step down. Subsequently, following his remarks that he would adhere to the results, the poll ended with those in favor of his resignation. These kinds of circumstances speak to the vast differences in opinions.
Whether or not these allegations over the past Twitter regime are true remains to be seen. It does, however, join common accusations against the platform in the past.