Elon Musk.Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
Elon Muskis sharing his vision for Twitter.
In anote addressed to “Twitter advertisers,” the billionaire — who has a day left to close the $44 billion deal — said he wanted to “personally 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,” he wrote in the note, which was shared publicly on his Twitter account.
Musk wrote that the social media company 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.”
“I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try and help humanity, whom I love,” he continued. “And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.”
“In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all,” he wrote. “Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise.”
He didn’t spell out his thoughts on the matter in Thursday’s statement, though, instead writing that it should be possible to “choose your desired experience according to your preferences” just like with “movies or video games.”
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But Musk has previously been more candid. “If it’s a gray area, I would say let the tweet exist. In a case where there’s perhaps a lot of controversy, you don’t necessarily promote that tweet,” he said during a Ted2022 conference over the summer, according toAxois. “I’m not saying I have all the answers here, but I do think we want to be very reluctant to delete things, and just be very cautious with permanent bans — timeouts, I think, are better.”
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Musk’s note to advertisers came just hours after hepaid a visit to Twitter’s officesin San Francisco.
“Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!” he tweeted alongside a video that showed him literally carrying a sink.
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“As you’ll soon see or hear, Elon is in the SF office this week meeting with folks, walking the halls, and continuing to dive in on the important work you all do,” read the email, according to the outlet. “If you’re in SF and see him around, say hi! For everyone else, this is just the beginning of many meetings and conversations with Elon.”
BloombergandCNNpreviously reported that in response to thePost’s report, Twitter General Counsel Sean Edgett informed staff in a memo that the company does “not have any confirmation of the buyer’s plans following close and recommend not following rumors or leaked documents but rather wait for facts from us and the buyer directly.”
Musk first agreed topurchase Twitterin April. However, nearly three months later, he announced his plans toback out of his agreement, alleging that Twitter was in “breach of multiple provisions” of an original agreement.
After months of back-and-forth, Musk sent a letter to Twitter earlier this month, according toBloombergandThe New York Times. The outlets reported that in the letter, heproposed to acquire the platform at the original price he agreed on, provided Twitter dropped its lawsuit.
Musk has until Oct. 28 to close the deal, or the case is set to go to trial in November.
source: people.com
