San Francisco: News of Tesla CEO Elon musk take a board seat on Twitter Company insiders told Reuters that some Twitter employees are nervous about the future of the social media firm’s ability to moderate content.
Within hours of the surprise disclosure this week that Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” garnered enough shares to become a top Twitter shareholder, political conservatives began calling for a return to social media. Donald Trump, The former US president was banned from Facebook and Twitter after the January 6 Capitol riots over concerns about inciting violence.
Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert tweeted Monday, “Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, it’s time to remove political censorship. Oh…and bring back Trump!”.
Despite Twitter’s repeated this week that the board does not make policy decisions, four Twitter employees who spoke with Reuters said they fear Musk’s ability to influence company policies on abusive users and harmful content.
With Musk on board, employees say their views on moderation could undermine years of efforts to make Twitter a place of healthy discourse and allow trolling and mob attacks to flourish.
In the wake of Trump’s ban from Facebook and Twitter, the billionaire tweeted that many people would be unhappy with US tech companies acting “as de facto arbiters of free speech.”
Musk hasn’t clarified what he intends to do as a new board member, but he has telegraphed his intentions with his Twitter activity: a week before Musk disclosed his 9.1% stake in Twitter. , he chose his 80 million followers whether to follow the site. The principle of free speech, and the majority did not vote.
Employees, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, point to Musk’s history of using Twitter to attack critics. In 2018, Musk accused a British diver who helped rescue children trapped in a cave in Thailand for being a pedophile.
Musk won a defamation lawsuit brought by Diver in 2019.
When asked for comment, a Twitter spokesperson reiterated a statement from Tuesday that the board “plays an important advisory and feedback role throughout our service,” but that daily operations and decisions are made by Twitter’s management and staff.
“Twitter is committed to fairness in the development and enforcement of its policies and rules,” the spokesperson said.
Employees Reuters spoke to were not sure about the company’s commitment to this. “I find it hard to believe that (the board) has no influence,” said one employee. “If that’s the case, why would Elon want a board seat?”
But other employees told Reuters that Musk’s involvement could help accelerate the pace of new feature and product launches, and provide a new perspective as an active user of Twitter.
Neither Tesla nor Musk responded to requests for comment.
One employee said Twitter’s board figures prominently in discussions within Twitter, more so than other tech companies. This is because unlike Meta Platforms Inc., where the founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg The company controls through a dual-class share structure, with Twitter having only one class of shares making it more vulnerable to activists like Musk. Teams within Twitter often consider how to communicate a strategy or decision to the board, for example, the employee said.
Trump’s return?
An employee familiar with the company’s operations said there are no current plans to reinstate Trump. A Twitter spokesperson said there were no plans to reverse any policy decisions.
But a veteran auto analyst who covered Musk’s operating style at Tesla said it was only a matter of time. “If Donald Trump were really rich, he would love to do the same thing, but he couldn’t afford it. So Elon is doing what Trump would love to do,” said Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Twitter restores Trump’s account now that Elon owns about 10% of the company,” he said.
At long last, employees said Musk’s involvement could change Twitter’s corporate culture, which they say currently values inclusivity. Musk has faced widespread criticism for posting memes mocking transgender people, efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, and comparing world leaders to Hitler.
Many employees were intrigued by Musk’s warm welcome by Twitter CEO Parag Agarwal and cofounder Jack Dorsey, prompting him to hit the job market this week.
One person said, “Some people are sweeping their resumes.” “I don’t want to work for anyone (like Musk).”
Within hours of the surprise disclosure this week that Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” garnered enough shares to become a top Twitter shareholder, political conservatives began calling for a return to social media. Donald Trump, The former US president was banned from Facebook and Twitter after the January 6 Capitol riots over concerns about inciting violence.
Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert tweeted Monday, “Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, it’s time to remove political censorship. Oh…and bring back Trump!”.
Despite Twitter’s repeated this week that the board does not make policy decisions, four Twitter employees who spoke with Reuters said they fear Musk’s ability to influence company policies on abusive users and harmful content.
With Musk on board, employees say their views on moderation could undermine years of efforts to make Twitter a place of healthy discourse and allow trolling and mob attacks to flourish.
In the wake of Trump’s ban from Facebook and Twitter, the billionaire tweeted that many people would be unhappy with US tech companies acting “as de facto arbiters of free speech.”
Musk hasn’t clarified what he intends to do as a new board member, but he has telegraphed his intentions with his Twitter activity: a week before Musk disclosed his 9.1% stake in Twitter. , he chose his 80 million followers whether to follow the site. The principle of free speech, and the majority did not vote.
Employees, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, point to Musk’s history of using Twitter to attack critics. In 2018, Musk accused a British diver who helped rescue children trapped in a cave in Thailand for being a pedophile.
Musk won a defamation lawsuit brought by Diver in 2019.
When asked for comment, a Twitter spokesperson reiterated a statement from Tuesday that the board “plays an important advisory and feedback role throughout our service,” but that daily operations and decisions are made by Twitter’s management and staff.
“Twitter is committed to fairness in the development and enforcement of its policies and rules,” the spokesperson said.
Employees Reuters spoke to were not sure about the company’s commitment to this. “I find it hard to believe that (the board) has no influence,” said one employee. “If that’s the case, why would Elon want a board seat?”
But other employees told Reuters that Musk’s involvement could help accelerate the pace of new feature and product launches, and provide a new perspective as an active user of Twitter.
Neither Tesla nor Musk responded to requests for comment.
One employee said Twitter’s board figures prominently in discussions within Twitter, more so than other tech companies. This is because unlike Meta Platforms Inc., where the founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg The company controls through a dual-class share structure, with Twitter having only one class of shares making it more vulnerable to activists like Musk. Teams within Twitter often consider how to communicate a strategy or decision to the board, for example, the employee said.
Trump’s return?
An employee familiar with the company’s operations said there are no current plans to reinstate Trump. A Twitter spokesperson said there were no plans to reverse any policy decisions.
But a veteran auto analyst who covered Musk’s operating style at Tesla said it was only a matter of time. “If Donald Trump were really rich, he would love to do the same thing, but he couldn’t afford it. So Elon is doing what Trump would love to do,” said Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Twitter restores Trump’s account now that Elon owns about 10% of the company,” he said.
At long last, employees said Musk’s involvement could change Twitter’s corporate culture, which they say currently values inclusivity. Musk has faced widespread criticism for posting memes mocking transgender people, efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, and comparing world leaders to Hitler.
Many employees were intrigued by Musk’s warm welcome by Twitter CEO Parag Agarwal and cofounder Jack Dorsey, prompting him to hit the job market this week.
One person said, “Some people are sweeping their resumes.” “I don’t want to work for anyone (like Musk).”