As the owner and most followed user of X, Elon Musk has increasingly used the social media platform as a microphone to broadcast his political views – and, more recently, those of right-wing figures he allies himself with. There are few modern parallels to his antics, but then again, there are few modern parallels to Elon Musk himself.
Of course, none of this should come as a surprise.
When Musk tried to buy Twitter in 2022, he said he was doing so because the company was not living up to its potential as a “free speech platform.” Protecting free speech – not money – was his motivation because, as he put it, “having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization.”
Musk often muses about the future of civilization. For one thing, he seems fixated on an impending “population collapse” that threatens to wipe out humanity. And last year, he joined prominent scientists and technology leaders in warning the world that artificial intelligence could do the same. Musk has called threats to free speech another existential crisis hanging over the world. And he’ll do his best to save it.
“Free speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital marketplace where issues critical to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in an April 2022 post, adding Hearts, stars and rocket emojis to emphasize the statement.
Two years later, the platform – now called X – has indeed become a haven for the kind of free speech Musk championed. In the US, he has spread memes – and sometimes misinformation – about illegal immigration, alleged voter fraud and transgender politics, and over the summer officially endorsed former President Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy.
In May 2023, he co-hosted the official announcement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential candidacy. The event was a disaster and marred by technical glitches, but underscored Musk’s desire to turn X into a “digital town square.” After the event was marred by technical difficulties, Musk extended an open invitation to any other presidential candidates who wished to attend. Trump accepted his offer and agreed to an interview with the billionaire Tesla CEO on Monday evening. The conversation began with technical glitches that no one could attend and began about 42 minutes late.
“I haven’t been very political until now,” Musk said during his conversation with Trump.
Abroad – where most X users live – he argues with top politicians in Australia, Brazil, the European Union and the UK about the balance between free speech and the spread of harmful misinformation. And he accused a political party in his homeland South Africa, he had “openly called for genocide against the white population”.
“Elon Musk is a master of media and controls one of the biggest microphones in the world. Musk understands the power of social media in shaping a political narrative,” said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at Emarketer. “The concern is that as X pushes his own political agenda, he could suppress viewpoints that contradict Musk’s own, either intentionally or because the platform becomes more partisan. That could alienate users who feel marginalized on the platform and disillusion some who may have previously believed his free speech mantra.”
Musk’s political shift on X comes at a time when other social media, notably Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, are retreating from politics. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has never endorsed a presidential candidate – and in February, the world’s largest social media company announced it would no longer recommend political content to people who don’t already follow such accounts.
Lately, Zuckerberg seems to be contrasting with Musk in other ways too. Back in January, the Facebook founder testified before Congress about the harm his platform has caused to children. But he now seems to have a more stylish look that includes gold chains, longer locks and a radiant confidence, coupled with a slightly self-deprecating humor that seems to embrace his eccentricities. On July 4, for example, he posted a video of himself riding an electric surfboard, wearing a tuxedo and holding a can of beer in one hand and an American flag in the other. The online reaction was far more positive than to a 2021 surfing photo in which he is so heavily slathered in sunscreen that it looks like he is wearing a white mask.
Musk, on the other hand, is moving from cool nerd territory into what Kara Swisher, the elder stateswoman of tech journalism, recently called “the Howard Hughes part” of an inevitable decline. He argues with those who disagree with him – be they foreign governments or people infected with what he calls the “woke mind virus.” Last week, the British government called on Elon Musk to act more responsibly after the tech billionaire, using X to unleash a barrage of posts that could inflame the country into violent unrest.
Justice Minister Heidi Alexander made the comment after Musk posted a comment saying that “a civil war is inevitable” in Britain. Musk later persisted, citing complaints that the British criminal justice system treats Muslims more leniently than far-right activists and comparing Britain’s crackdown on social media users to that of the Soviet Union.
Representatives of X did not immediately respond to requests for comment
Of course, some of Musk’s current battles over free speech are similar to those waged by the previous Twitter administration in repressive regimes that have at times restricted or blocked access to the platform to stifle dissent. In Venezuela, for example, President Nicolás Maduro last week ordered a 10-day suspension of access to X in the country — the latest in a series of efforts by his government to suppress the sharing of information among people who raise doubts about his claim to victory in the July 28 presidential election. Maduro accused X of being used by his opponents to foment political unrest and gave the company 10 days to “present their documents,” but offered no further details.
Musk’s antics are unlike any other Big Tech leader, and while they might alienate some of his X user base, they might also draw attention to his platform. Could this all be part of a larger plan? After all, despite public criticism of Musk’s antics, leftists continue to use his platform.
“X has held up surprisingly well during the recent controversy,” Enberg said. “This is due in no small part to consumers’ fascination with conspiracy theories and Elon Musk himself.”
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AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien contributed to this story.
