Billionaire Elon Musk appears to have made another vow to Twitter users that censorship isn’t going to be a big problem anymore after he takes control of the company.
During an all-hands meeting with Twitter employees on Thursday, Musk said that users should be able to post “pretty outrageous things.”
Musk, who serves as CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla, space company SpaceX, and the Starlink internet provider service, is attempting to buy the social media platform for $44 billion. The meeting is the first time he has addressed all employees, according to Bloomberg, likely signaling that the acquisition arrangement is nearing its end stage.
The Daily Wire noted:
The New York Times technology correspondent Mike Isaac reported that Twitter employees had the opportunity to submit questions to Musk over the past few days. Musk reportedly said during the meeting, which Twitter Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland moderated, that he wants to prioritize “freedom of speech, and freedom of reach.”
Musk has frequently commented on the need for Twitter — and mainstream Americans at large — to reaffirm their commitments to freedom of speech.
“I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans,” Musk noted in April, adding that the “extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all.”
During the all-hands meeting, Musk also touched on some concerns about costs outpacing revenues and suggested that he would be willing to dismiss unproductive staffers.
“If somebody is getting useful things done, that’s great,” he said, according to The New York Times. “If they aren’t getting useful things done, then why are they at the company?”
Several employees also questioned Musk about being able to work remotely, probably because the Tesla founder and CEO told those workers that “remote work is no longer” acceptable at the electric vehicle maker.
“If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve those exceptions directly,” he told Tesla executives, remarking that the workplace “must be a main Tesla office, not a remote branch office unrelated to the job duties, for example being responsible for Fremont factory human relations, but having your office in another state.”
In addition, Musk informed Twitter employees during the meeting that it is “much better if you are on location physically,” according to the Times.
When asked during the meeting if he is committed to a diverse workplace at Twitter, Musk replied that he would like to see “at least a billion people on Twitter,” according to the Times, which he said is the “most explicit definition of inclusiveness.”
He also noted that he is “extremely literal with what he says,” by which he meant that Twitter staff should simply take him at his word.
Shortly after Musk announced his intent to purchase the platform, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey voiced his support for Musk’s purchase of the company he started and ran for years.
“I love Twitter. Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness,” he said in a Twitter thread.
“The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both. Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step,” he wrote.
The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both. Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022
“In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness,” Dorsey added.
“Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is ‘maximally trusted and broadly inclusive’ is the right one. This is also @paraga’s goal, and why I chose him. Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation. This is the right path…I believe it with all my heart,” he noted.
Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is “maximally trusted and broadly inclusive” is the right one. This is also @paraga’s goal, and why I chose him. Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation. This is the right path…I believe it with all my heart.
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022
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