In October 2022, businessman Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, bought the influential social media company Twitter for $44 billion. Within weeks, he fired half the company's workforce, relaxed the platform's policies against hate speech and the spread of disinformation, and restored the account of former president Donald Trump (R, 2017–21), whom Twitter had banned for encouraging violence. Many applauded Musk's actions, arguing that they advanced free speech and open dialog, but others questioned them, arguing that they encouraged extremism and undermined the company's legitimacy. Is Elon Musk killing Twitter?
In October 2022, businessman Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, bought the influential social media company Twitter for $44 billion. Within weeks, he fired half the company's workforce, relaxed the platform's policies against hate speech and the spread of disinformation, and restored the account of former president Donald Trump (R, 2017–21), whom Twitter had banned for encouraging violence. Many applauded Musk's actions, arguing that they advanced free speech and open dialog, but others questioned them, arguing that they encouraged extremism and undermined the company's legitimacy. Is Elon Musk killing Twitter?
General Note
Originally released by Intelligence Squared US, 2023.
Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on May 24, 2023.