Elon Musk Twitter: Fears ignite over Tesla CEO’s latest move

Elon Musk’s ascent to the board for Twitter has naturally not been without controversy, but could the contentious match be more than we bargained for.

Adding another feather to his lucrative, money making cap, this week saw tech billionaire Elon Musk join Twitter’s board.

On Tuesday the Tesla and SpaceX CEO bought a 9.2 per cent stake in Twitter Inc, which was the equivalent of nearly A$4 billion. This also makes him the biggest stakeholder in the company.

On paper it sounds like a natural fit. The social media platform is known for its loud and polarising opinions and Musk is known for being vocal and opionated behaviour – an attitude that’s got him in trouble both on and off the platform.

However the move has also caused uncertainty around the future of the social media platform and what he might want to do with it.

Elon Musk’s ascent onto Twitter’s board has unsurprisingly come with its fair amount of controversy. Picture: Saul Martinez/ Getty Images.

Political analyst and the author of TrumpNation, Tim O’Brien, believes there could be serious ramifications behind Musk’s move into media.

“I suspect there’s something more serious informing Musk’s decision to invest in Twitter, even if he revels in buffoonery: Maybe he wants to bring Twitter to heel,” he wrote for The Washington Post.

Hinting that Musk may be more “bully” than “philosopher”, Mr O’Brien alludes to the point that the billionaire is partial to a Twitter rant, which have in the past targeted specific individuals – like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Senator Elizabeth Warren and famed hedge fund manager, David Einhorn.

“That’s worrisome, because it’s not ideal to have a free speech absolutist who isn’t absolutely in favour of free speech at the helm of — or even close to — a media company,” Mr O’Brien writes.

‘Don’t want to work for Musk’

Employees from within Twitter, are also weary that Musk’s view on free speech may be counter-productive to platform’s moderation and anti-trolling policies.

Musk is no stranger to a controversial tweet.

He copped criticism in February 2022 after he deleted a meme which compared Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to Adolf Hitler.

So this guy? This kind of value? Right. pic.twitter.com/a2k3XXthDI

— Truth, Lies, and Uncertainty—dlonorse 🇺🇸🇳🇴🇺🇦 (@dlonorse) April 5, 2022

When the near-tragedy of the Thai cave rescue in 2018 captivated the world, Musk accused a British cave expert, Vernon Unsworth of being a “pedo guy” with no proof. During an ensuing defamation court case between Mr Unsworth and Musk – which Musk won – the expert said the interaction left him feeling ‘very hurt,’ ‘humiliated and ashamed’.

British cave diver Vernon Unsworth attempted to take on the tech billionaire in a defamation trial, however he lost the bid. Picture: Frederic J. Brown/ AFP.

In 2020, Musk also went after transgender rights in April 2020, when he blatantly tweeted “Pronouns suck”. While the news saw his then-partner, Grimes tweeting: “I cannot support this hate. Please stop this. I know this is not your heart,” Musk shared another meme mocking pronouns months later in December.

This time he shared a photo of a British Redcoat rubbing his face with blood alongside the caption: “When you put he/him in ur bio.”

pic.twitter.com/qbNT1dUsED

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2020

Speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, one worker said the installation of Musk on Twitter’s board has led them to reconsider their employment with the company.

“Some people are dusting off their resumes,” one person said. “I don’t want to work for somebody (like Musk).”

Could Elon bring Trump back? Twitter under Musk

Musk’s very passionate ‘edit’ button aside, the billionaire’s new appointment could also see another controversial figure return to the platform.

As Musk’s new acquisition circulated on Twitter, calls also began for the richlister to reinstate the account of former US President Donald Trump. While Trump was banned from the platform for stoking the US Capital riots in Jan 2021.

“Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, it’s time to lift the political censorship. Oh … and BRING BACK TRUMP!” wrote Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert.

It reads similar to the several other aimed at the tech entrepreneur, with Musk choosing to remains hush on his future moves.

While Musk has remained mum on the above topic, ultimately, only Musk can shine a light on what’s in store for Twitter’s future. And at the moment, the only thing that appears to be certain is that his tenure will lead to some unexpected turns.

pic.twitter.com/TW2lLQakE5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2022

At least the SpaceX and Tesla CEO appeared to say this when he shared a meme of himself. Posting a 2018 photo from himself lighting a marijuana joint from his interview with controversial podcaster Joe Rogan, his caption left much to the imagination.

“Twitter’s next board meeting is gonna be lit,” it read.