DETROIT (ChurchMilitant.com) – Americans are ecstatic after Tesla CEO Elon Musk made headlines in recent days for his massive purchase of Twitter stock.
Elon Musk
Many are hoping Musk’s presence on the social media company’s board of directors — and his role as the largest stockholder — could end suppression of conservative voices.
The billionaire entrepreneur suggested his frustration with Twitter censorship March 26 by saying, “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?”
There is speculation that Musk may increase his current $3 billion stake in Twitter’s stock to gain more control over the company. Analyst Dan Ives said, “This is just a start. I think he will have a broader strategic focus on Twitter, whether it’s changing the slate, changing the management team or ultimately a buyout.”
However, once Musk joined Twitter’s board of directors, a rule was established that prevents board members from holding over 14.9% of the company. Musk currently holds 9.2% of the company’s stock.
In an article April 4, Fox News host Tucker Carlson praised Musk for the purchase. Carlson warned that Musk will face a lot of heat if he fights for conservatives’ freedom of speech on the platform since he is a “massive threat to the way things are.”
Carlson hopes Musk will aim to rid Twitter of its “wokeness.” He mentioned Musk said the “woke mind virus” is “possibly one of the greatest threats to modern civilization” and a “shield to be mean and cruel, armored in a false virtue.”
Conservative journalist Darren Beattie made a similar case. In an April 1 piece, he argued a Musk-led attempt to make concrete changes at Twitter in the name of free speech “would represent nothing less than a declaration of war against the globalist American empire.”
However, others have expressed concern over Musk’s quick rise to power with Twitter. Being the world’s richest man — his net worth is nearly $300 billion — Musk has funding to do a lot of good or evil.
(L to R) Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates
Musk has now joined big business billionaire elites Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates by getting deeply involved in the media. Bezos, Amazon’s founder, owns the Washington Post. Gates, the founder of Microsoft, has given over $300 million in donations to media outlets.
At the Brussels National Conservatism Conference late last month, political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek warned of Musk’s dangerous stance on transhumanism. Vlaardingerbroek discussed Musk’s Neuralink project, which seeks to implant chips into human brains to form a “brain-computer interface.”
This directly contrasts God’s natural design of man and, as Vlaardingerbroek insisted, “will alter the human mind forever.”
Few conservatives have recognized Musk holds this controversial view. One Republican representative even called for Musk to “buy Facebook next.”
Elon Musk just became Twitter’s largest shareholder.
He should buy Facebook next.
— Representative Mike Loychik (@MikeLoychik) April 4, 2022
Alternative social media platform Gab offered a mixed reaction to the Musk news. On Twitter, the verified Gab account said, “We appreciate @elonmusk validating our thesis and exploding interest in a market that Gab has pioneered for nearly six years now. Anything that promotes more speech and not less is a good thing in our book.”
Adding to the same thread, Gab reaffirmed support for its own anti-censorship business model, regardless of any change Musk makes: “Buckminister Fuller once said that ‘You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.'”
Musk has yet to publicize any groundbreaking free-speech plans for Twitter. The most notable action Musk has suggested implementing is an edit button for tweets.
