Elon Musk has a questionable record on free speech. That’s a problem for Twitter
The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Yet among the many as-yet-unclear dimensions of his acquisition of a social media platform that acts much like the world’s public forum, Musk’s exact definition of “free speech” is one that might have international consequences, and implications for Twitter’s future. All because Unsworth called the billionaire’s failed attempt to fly across the world and help the boys a “PR stunt.” Musk hired L. Lin Wood — the Trump ally and conspiracy theorist — to represent him in a defamation case brought by Unsworth, which Musk won. Unsworth’s solicitor, Mark Stephens, said in the wake of Musk’s victory: ““It is a pity that a bullying billionaire has been able to cast such a long shadow, and I just hope that nobody else has to go … toe to toe with Mr Musk.” A Guardian article about the lawsuit noted that “the case pitted a 64-year-old financial adviser earning a salary of about £25,000 against one of the richest and most famous men in the world.” Then there are the Tesla employees like John Bernal, who was fired six days after posting a YouTube video of a Tesla accident. It’s difficult to know what’s next for the social media company, or what’s next for Musk as he takes over Twitter and sorts out lawsuits with the SEC, and Black employees claiming discrimination.
Jeff Bezos Washington Post: The mask is really off now on tech billionaire politics.
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