Elon Musk Reveals in Public Message to Advertisers Why He Bought Twitter; Says Speculation 'Has Been Wrong'
Elon Musk will steer Twitter on a course to avoid being either a “free-for-all hellscape” or another social media “echo chamber,” he said in a Thursday post.
Musk is buying Twitter, with the deal set to close by Friday. On Thursday, he sought to address speculation about what the Musk era might bring with a post headlined “Dear Twitter Advertisers.”
A report in the Wall Street Journal had framed advertisers, who make up the bulk of Twitter’s revenue, as uneasy that Musk might do away with content moderation.
“I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation in acquiring Twitter. There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has been wrong,” Musk wrote.
Although reports have said Musk wanted to cut employees at Twitter by 75 percent, a report by Bloomberg said that when Musk met with Twitter employees on Wednesday, he said that was not taking place.
In his post, Musk offered a lofty version of his motives.
“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” he wrote.
Musk then decried the impact of existing social media polarization.
“There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society,” he wrote.
“In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost,” he wrote.
Musk wrote that he did not acquire Twitter “to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love.”
Using a word rarely associated with Musk, he said he acted “with humility,” noting that “failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.
“That said, Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” he wrote.
“In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature,” he wrote.
Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022
As noted by The New York Times, Musk has voiced thoughts in the past that Twitter might offer some type of revenue-generating subscription service, but in his message, said he is not against advertising.
“I also very much believe that advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed, but is right for you. For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs. Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content!” he wrote.
“Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise. To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together,” he wrote.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.