UPDATE: Par for the course, Musk, who tweeted a poll asking if he should resign with YES winning, eventually unbanned. Ban, unban, ban, unban. We can’t keep up. This is getting VERY. OLD.
Maybe a person who can’t pick up on social cues shouldn’t buy a social media app. Reanimated wax dummy Elon Musk has turned Twitter into a barometer for his own personal Snowflake fee-fees.
He’s now banning any journalist who reports news about him he doesn’t like, asks a question about something he doesn’t like, or (in my case) uses protected free speech to express any criticism toward him or his perceived MAGA pals that they don’t like.
Elon’s also been having some petty fights with big names over the free and fair usage of his privately-held company.
There are those of us who continue to rely on Twitter for our jobs.
Musk shouldn’t be allowed to screw with anyone’s livelihood while he’s revenge-f*cking the whole world, and he needs to go back to his real gig already.
Tesla investors are BIG MAD that Elon has been jerkin’ his gherkin over this whole Twitter thing.
“Elon abandoned Tesla and Tesla has no working CEO,” tweeted Indonesian billionaire KoGuan Leo, Tesla’s third-largest shareholder.
This is what it sounds like when billionaires cry.
Elon abandoned Tesla and Tesla has no working CEO
Tesla needs and deserves to have working full time CEO
What Tesla BOD should do, do nothing? Elon will find his own successor under BOD independent supervision https://t.co/AJSvij9ncP
— KoGuan Leo (@KoguanLeo) December 14, 2022
On the one hand, yes: Elon Musk can do whatever he wants with his new toy, even shatter it into a bazillion pieces because he’s revenge-effing the whole world with his bank account.
But on the other hand, how is it a successful business model to buy something millions of people have been using for nearly 15 years and then actively kill everything about it that they enjoyed?
Captain Free Speech has decided that the only speech he’s going to allow on Twitter is the speech he likes. And now he’s eliminating the competition as the Twittertanic continues to sink.
Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr, and Post are no longer allowed to promote themselves in tweets.
At this point, I should make the mandatory disclosure that the Tribel social media platform is owned by one of the publishers of Occupy Democrats and Washington Press.
I’ll also make the non-mandatory suggestion that you check it out and join Tribel.
And no, I’ve never heard of Nostr either. I had to check to make sure it was real.
That’s not very social of you, Elon.
Musk is now doing that rich-guy dick-waving thing of “I AM BOSS MAN and if you don’t like the way I run this, you can leave.”
NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS YOU WANNABE BOND VILLAIN.
If only there was some way to stop him.
Dear @elonmusk: Simple answer, have you tried reading FBI’s mission? From 2017 program:
“The FBI considers strategic engagement with U.S. technology companies, including threat indicator sharing, to be important in combating foreign influence actors.”https://t.co/7Z0MITQl6s https://t.co/d9OWRNLqLG
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 18, 2022
Even Twitter’s previous CEO Jack Dorsey seemed utterly perplexed by Musk’s censorious actions, so diametrically opposed to Elon’s floundering “free speech” mantra.
For Mark Zuckerberg’s part, Facebook replied snarkily in their own Twitter feed with a simple emoji.
🫣
— Facebook (@facebook) December 18, 2022
The restrictions may also put Musk and Twitter in even more scalding agua with European Union regulators.
IMPORTANT: @elonmusk's new policy preventing linking to competitors is in DIRECT VIOLATION of European Union rules.
Penalty can be a fine of up to 20% of Twitter's annual revenuehttps://t.co/Wu1dU4JRn7 pic.twitter.com/cZWsl92npr
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 18, 2022
Guess firing the compliance staff wasn’t such a great brainstorm, after all, Elon.
At least Elon’s mom is still supportive, however.
Anyway, Musk’s latest move has tech pundits predicting an even more urgent exodus of Twitter subscribers to the greener pastures of the very platforms that the autocratic CEO has banned.
Thanks for the recommendations for Twitter alternatives, Elon!
Tara Dublin is a woefully underappreciated and unrepresented writer currently shopping a super cool novel that has nothing to do with politics while also fighting fascism on the daily.
Follow her on Twitter @taradublinrocks.
Editor’s note: This is an opinion column that solely reflects the opinions of the author.
