There is no doubt that Elon Musk is a lucky man. hours after shake the economic world with its offer to buy Twitterthe billionaire owner of Tesla Motors has appeared at a TED conference to talk about his life with Asperger’s, his business vision and even the worst decision he has ever made (spoilers: fire soon one of the founders of the car company). Who wouldn’t ask him about his partner’s hostile takeover? The curator of the conferences, Chris Anderson, asked him the obligatory question of the day. “It is very important that freedom of expression is inclusive there,” Musk said at the talk held in Vancouver, Canada.
“A strong intuition tells me that having a public platform that is trusted by the majority and is very inclusive is extremely important for the future of civilization. This is not an economic issue,” said the businessman, whose personal fortune exceeds 260,000 million dollars according to Bloomberg. These arguments come hours after he announced on Twitter his offer to take over the company in exchange for 43.4 billion dollars (about 40 billion euros).
Musk’s offer has stirred the debate on freedom of expression in the United States at a time of heightened polarization. Twitter was one of the first technology companies to review its comment moderation policies and one of those that retaliated after the storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, on January 6, 2021. This has been a topic in which Musk has insisted since it was revealed that he bought 9.2% of the San Francisco technology company’s shares.
“When in doubt, we should allow the discourse to exist. But if it’s a gray area, I’d say I’d rather the tweet exists… Obviously if there’s too much controversy, you’re not necessarily going to promote that message. I don’t have all the answers,” shared Musk, who was tweeting all afternoon as the press claimed that his offer hadn’t convinced everyone within the board of directors. “If the current board takes actions contrary to the interests of the shareholders, they would be breaching their fiduciary obligations,” he commented. in one of his messages. After his entry into the company, the board offered him a seat among its 11 directors. On Sunday, Parag Agrawal reported that the tycoon declined the invitation. This Thursday he revealed the ace he had up his sleeve, a hostile bid.
The visionary businessman, owner of a company that builds space rockets, has said in the TED forum that he has a plan B if the investor vote is not opened and Twitter says no. Musk has already smelled the possibility of a refusal and has feigned that this has been his final offer and will not improve the amount. On Thursday afternoon (night on the Peninsula) he went to the social network with which he tries to get hold of to talk with one of the company’s main shareholders. Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, owner of 5% of the technology through his Kingdom Holding conglomerate, published that the offer was not close to “intrinsic value given growth projections.” Musk turned around and asked him what he thinks on the freedom of expression of journalists. Talal is like Musk himself, a user who likes to confront. In 2015, he told Donald Trump that he was a “disgrace” for the Republican Party and for the entire country.
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If there is a sector that has been enthusiastic about the idea of Musk becoming a baron of the technological press, it is precisely Trumpism, the main victim of the moderation policies of Facebook and YouTube, in addition to Twitter. Radical sectors of the right have jumped into fringe networks like Parler, Gttr, Rumble and Truth Social, backed by the former Republican president.
The Wall Street Journal has claimed that Musk is taking advice from Morgan Stanley, which could help him with credit lines if the deal goes through. The billionaire businessman tweeted part of a recent analysis prepared by the institution that recommends selling Twitter titles. The entrepreneur has offered $54.20 per title, a veiled reference to marijuana (the 420, on April 20, is a reference to weed in the United States). The New York newspaper assures that despite Musk’s attempts to make the operation transparent, some investors are negotiating support to make the offer more irresistible. Musk’s new soap opera has only just begun.
Musk already talks about his new crusade with the same intensity with which he talked about the importance of exploring space, a SpaceX mission. Closing his talk with TED, the entrepreneur claimed to love humanity. “I think we should fight for a good future for humanity. We must be optimistic and fight to make that future optimism happen.”
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