Is it really possible that Twitter’s censorious board of directors is actually excited to welcome Elon Musk?
Billionaire Elon Musk will join Twitter’s board of directors, the company announced Tuesday, a day after disclosing that the Tesla CEO took a 9% stake in the social media company.
Twitter said in a regulatory filing Tuesday that Musk would get a seat on its board, with the term expiring in 2024, and that he wouldn’t be allowed to own more than 14.9% of its stock as long as he’s a board member and for 90 days after.
“Looking forward to working with Parag & Twitter board to make significant improvements to Twitter in coming months!” Musk said on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
Prominent conservatives, such as firebrand Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, said the first step Musk should take at Twitter is to restore free speech policies to the platform and allow former President Donald Trump to return from his suspension.
At the end of March, Musk created a poll on Twitter asking users if they believed Twitter adheres to free speech principles, which he said were essential to a functioning democracy. Approximately 70% of the over 2 million people who responded to the poll said “No.”
Conservatives cheered Musk’s investment in Twitter and his new board position on the expectation that he will help banned conservatives return to the platform.
“Musk reached out to us before he polled his followers about Twitter’s commitment to free speech. He wanted to confirm that we had, in fact, been suspended,” said Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylon Bee, a popular conservative humor website. “He even mused on that call that he might need to buy Twitter. Now, he’s the largest shareholder and has a seat on the board.”
Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal welcomed Musk, but his welcoming seemed hammered together by public relations specialists, not a sincere or warm salutation.
He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term. Welcome Elon!
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 5, 2022
Three years ago, then-Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey said that Musk was the most exciting influential user on Twitter because “he’s focused on solving existential problems and sharing his thinking openly. I respect that a lot, and all the ups and downs that come with it.”
Musk’s influence (and massive fortune) granted him a seat at the table. The question is what changes will come as a result of his influence? Will we finally see Donald Trump’s account reinstated?
Author: Asa McCue
