Should We Be Worried About Elon Musk's Interest In Twitter?

The world’s richest man has recently become the major shareholder of Twitter.

When the news first went public, Twitter’s stock jumped up 30%.

That was good news for investors, management and users of the platform. It means they all have faith in and will keep growing it.

As a person who had voiced intentions of creating his own social media platform and as one that had questioned Twitter’s capacity to allow for free speech not to long ago, Musk’s interest in Twitter at the moment is good news to some. It’s also been a blessing so far.

It means he must have some faith on the issues he voiced and that he might not be starting his own social media platform.

He has also gotten 30% richer on his Twitter stake alone. Not bad for a multi billionaire!

So far, Musk has also been given a seat on the board. This move could translate to him obtaining a huge control of the social media platform. After all, he is the company’s biggest shareholder.

I began writing this story a while back but couldn’t make to finish it in time. Since then, a lot has happened that should make us worried about Musk’s large shareholding of Twitter.

After Musk was offered a seat on Twitter’s board, he declined.

Many speculated that he could have been planning a hostile takeover. And that is what he attempted.

Musk offered to buy Twitter for over $40 million. A proposal the board rejected. Musk later stated that he had a plan B for his hostile takeover.

His threats should be taken very seriously as, after all, it was a hostile takeover that led to him gaining control of Tesla Motors! That’s after he had gained majority shareholding of the company.

Musk has also stated since then that he would take away the perks of the company’s board if he succeeded in buying the company. This is worrying to both management and employees. What other changes could he possibly be planning if he succeeds in a takeover?

Previously he had also criticised the most followed persons on the platform such as Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift for not being active on there. Shall we be posting on Twitter by force now?

Also, Musk likens Twitter to a modern-day public square. He wants more free speech on the platform. Considering it is the same platform where he has said questionable things including manipulating crypto markets and calling a British diver a “pedo guy” we can only worry about what else he could do with total control of Twitter.

The man has also trolled Bill Gates by editing an image of him next to that of the pregnant man emoji with the caption: In case you need to lose a boner fast.

That amounts to cyberbullying. And the sexual tones are also inappropriate and insulting. Musk is also body shaming Gates. And him comparing Gates’s protruding belly to a pregnant man might not sit well with transgender men who have gotten pregnant. Or the people that support them.

Is that the behaviour of a man that should control such a powerful company? What would happen to Twitter if everyone followed Musk’s example?

Even though people should enjoy the liberty of voicing their opinions, it should be done within limits.

Social media users have in the past taken advantage of their hiding behind a screen as themselves, anonymously or pseudonymously to bully, insult, harshly criticize or intimidate others. Or to say things that they wouldn’t be able to say to them face to face.

Giving them the green light to push such behaviour to a higher level would turn Twitter into a virtual speech anarchy paradise. People already post their crazy ramblings on there. Imagine if they felt that there weren’t any dire consequences for posting even crazier ramblings?

People have the liberty to say whatever they want to say, but Donald Trump on Twitter and his follower’s actions after reading his tweets when he lost the US elections are a perfect example of what could happen when people feel they can say whatever they want without caring about the negative effects of their words.

That’s why Elon Musk and his plans for Twitter after a successful takeover are worrisome.

He himself is known to make questionable decisions like firing his assistant of many years after she asked for a raise.

We can only speculate on what other questionable things he is going to do next with Twitter under his belt.

So far Musk has announced that he has secured enough funding to buy the platform. His efforts of owning Twitter are relentless. Why does he want it so bad?

But on a good note, the man has in the past turned the companies he bought into profitable ones. Tesla Motors is an example. He also runs several other successful companies. He might use the same magic to take Twitter to the next level.

We can only wait to see how all these will unfold. I feel strongly that we shall not like all of it.

What are your thoughts on Elon Musk’s interest in Twitter?