With hours to go before he is expected to buy Twitter for roughly A$68 billion, Elon Musk has explained his motivations for buying the social media platform.
Ostensibly a rallying call to potential advertisers, the open letter, posted on the platform, acts more as a mission statement, with declarations such as, “I did not buy it because it was easy. I did not do it to make more money. I did it to help humanity, whom I love”, and pledges to stop Twitter becoming a “free-for-all hell-space”.
Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022
“I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation for acquiring Twitter,” the letter begins.
“There have been many speculations about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has been wrong.
“The reason I acquired Twitter is that it is important for the future civilisation to have one common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be discussed in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.
“There is currently a great danger that social media will splinter into far-right or far-left-wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.
“In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarised extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but in doing so the opportunity for dialogue is lost.
“That is why I bought Twitter. I did not buy it because it was easy. I did not do it to make more money. I did it to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognising that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.
“That said, Twitter cannot become ‘free-for-all hellspace’, where anything can be said without consequence. In addition to adhering to the law of the land, our platform should be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience as per your preference, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play videogames ranging from all ages to mature.”
The deal is expected to close by Friday, as ordered by the Delaware Chancery Court in early October.
Zuckerberg has changed his Twitter profile to boast he is now “Chief Twit.”