‘Thanks Elon’ trends on Twitter as Elon Musk buys platform
Billionaire Elon Musk has reached a deal with Twitter Inc to acquire the platform despite previous resistance from the Board of Directors. The board has reportedly agreed to sell the company at Musk’s original offer of $54.20 a share, or about $43 billion, in an all-cash deal.
“I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,” tweeted Musk just before the deal was announced.
Now, “Thanks Elon” is trending as Twitter users celebrate what many hope will be a free speech platform.
“This is terrific! Thanks, Elon, for saving freedom of speech!” wrote one user.
“Awesome! Will be great to have the greatest #POTUS back on @Twitter, thanks Elon,” wrote another.
But some people are threatening to leave the platform due to the lack of censorship and the possible reinstatement of President Donald Trump’s account.
“Now that Elon Musk is buying Twitter, the question for all of us is: Will he allow a Criminal who used this platform to lie and spread disinformation to try to overthrow the US Government to return and continue his Criminal activity? And if he does, how do we combat it?” - actor Rob Reiner
“For those leaving @twitter after this @elonmusk deal with the devil goes thru, make sure you download an archive of everything you’ve contributed to this space. You had a good run, Twitter!” - actress Yvette Nicole Brown.
“If Musk buys Twitter and puts Trump back on here it’s really going to reduce my quality of life.” - author Hari Kunzru.
The Tesla CEO was also accused of being a racist and bigot.
“I still think Elon Musk owning Twitter is a bad idea. He will amplify racists, bigots, and misinformation. He is a bad-faith actor with his distorted views of free speech and censorship.” – writer David Weissman
“Wonder if Elon musk will copy the apartheid rules of his home country South Africa and give us check marks based on our skin color? The whiter the check mark the more rights you have on Twitter. #AskingForAFriend.” - podcast host Dean Obeidallah
“The way some people are overjoyed about the idea of Elon Musk bringing back "free speech" to Twitter, you have to wonder what speech they wantto make nowthat they think they can't tweet. Of course, we know: racist and other speech that encourage harm against others. Assholes.” - former lawyer Ayo Sogunro
“At its root, @ElonMusk wanting to purchase Twitter is not about left vs right. It’s about white power. The man was raised in Apartheid by a white nationalist. He’s upset that Twitter won’t allow white nationalists to target/harass people. That’s his definition of free speech.” - writer Shaun King
