Elon Musk officially buys Twitter!

[Axeman33]

There's a few things that will come out of this that will make Twitter more interesting, if what I am reading comes to fruition.

First off, Trump. Apparently, he told Fox News last night that he doesn't want to come back to Twitter and wants to pursue his own social media platform Truth Social. I can't see his ego not wanting to go back to Twitter, but who knows. We'll see on this one.

The second thing I've read that Musk is considering is an edit button on tweets that allows you to remove any tweet within 60 seconds if you felt it was posted in haste and you are having a sober second thought. This wouldn't affect me personally as I don't post stupid stuff on Twitter but I am sure there's a few entertainers/athletes/celebrities out there who wish they could have this feature.


It's going to be interesting. I personally like to think I am old and smart enough to know well enough about what's right and wrong, no matter who's tweeting it even if Musk moves this platform back to more of a "free speech" type of platform. I am fine with free speech as long as it's legal and just. There is a limit to how much free speech is a good thing. I am not someone who is capable of determining what that limit is, nor do I pretend to be.

[blayze]

If free speech were really a thing in the civilized world we probably all would have been fired by now and have no friends or family. Trump for one spoke freely... When he rallied the crazies to storm the capital.

A lot of people who think they want free speech should be careful what they wish for.

[GinFizz]

He’s (reportedly) taking it private, which functionally means there is no stock to double lol.

ahh.. didnt know that..

[hockeyrobot]

There's a few things that will come out of this that will make Twitter more interesting, if what I am reading comes to fruition.

First off, Trump. Apparently, he told Fox News last night that he doesn't want to come back to Twitter and wants to pursue his own social media platform Truth Social. I can't see his ego not wanting to go back to Twitter, but who knows. We'll see on this one.

The second thing I've read that Musk is considering is an edit button on tweets that allows you to remove any tweet within 60 seconds if you felt it was posted in haste and you are having a sober second thought. This wouldn't affect me personally as I don't post stupid stuff on Twitter but I am sure there's a few entertainers/athletes/celebrities out there who wish they could have this feature.


It's going to be interesting. I personally like to think I am old and smart enough to know well enough about what's right and wrong, no matter who's tweeting it even if Musk moves this platform back to more of a "free speech" type of platform. I am fine with free speech as long as it's legal and just. There is a limit to how much free speech is a good thing. I am not someone who is capable of determining what that limit is, nor do I pretend to be.

Isn't edit the same as deleting a tweet?

[Axeman33]

Isn't edit the same as deleting a tweet?

I guess so, in a round about way. Some may just want to change what they wrote but generally speaking, I think it's the delay on the 60 secs that makes it different. They can change their mind within a certain time period (albeit a short one) to edit their post after hitting "tweet". As we all know, once it's out there, it's out there. Now there's a 60 second delay before it's actually out there. I am assuming that's the benefit/reasoning behind it.

[2014olympicgold]

Its only scary because how does a man have $44billion to spend right now when people are struggling, and it's a "public, free speech platform". So what's his plan really. People are just confused.

There's likely $44billion worth of data he sees. Tesla cars absorb data every time they drive and it's stored and sold to companies who want it or used for Tesla's own plan. Tesla isn't just a car company, they are a data company too. He likely just wants more tracking of what people are thinking for whatever reason.

It's just so out of nowhere and so Elon it seems lol. "I want Twitter" a week later he gets it lol. Just such an odd maneuver for someone to come out of the blue lol. Elon is funny enough that I think he makes it better through troll things. Maybe he'll allow twitter on his skynet for the first time so everyone can get free twitter regardless of internet/data, what a marketing tool for both products.

[Axeman33]

Its only scary because how does a man have $44billion to spend right now when people are struggling, and it's a "public, free speech platform". So what's his plan really. People are just confused.

There's likely $44billion worth of data he sees. Tesla cars absorb data every time they drive and it's stored and sold to companies who want it or used for Tesla's own plan. Tesla isn't just a car company, they are a data company too. He likely just wants more tracking of what people are thinking for whatever reason.

It's just so out of nowhere and so Elon it seems lol. "I want Twitter" a week later he gets it lol. Just such an odd maneuver for someone to come out of the blue lol. Elon is funny enough that I think he makes it better through troll things. Maybe he'll allow twitter on his skynet for the first time so everyone can get free twitter regardless of internet/data, what a marketing tool for both products.

Musk doesn't have $44B to spend on buying Twitter, well, not in cash per se. He's worth close to $270B but most of that is tied up in investments.

According to a few online sources, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and several other banks have promised to lend $25.5 billion, backed in part by some of Musk's Tesla shares, and he's putting up the rest out of his own pocket. Some of that money is secured against $62.5 billion of his Tesla stock, representing 35 or 40 percent of his stake in the car company that is a big chunk of his life’s work. If for some reason Musk couldn’t pay back the loans, he’d lose the Tesla shares.

[2014olympicgold]

Musk doesn't have $44B to spend on buying Twitter, well, not in cash per se. He's worth close to $270B but most of that is tied up in investments.

According to a few online sources, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and several other banks have promised to lend $25.5 billion, backed in part by some of Musk's Tesla shares, and he's putting up the rest out of his own pocket. Some of that money is secured against $62.5 billion of his Tesla stock, representing 35 or 40 percent of his stake in the car company that is a big chunk of his life’s work. If for some reason Musk couldn’t pay back the loans, he’d lose the Tesla shares.

Ya i know that lol, no one actually has that type of cash. But I meant more like "People are unease cause someone can physically buy something for that amount". I just was to lazy to outline all that stuff lol.

[forumname]

I guess so, in a round about way. Some may just want to change what they wrote but generally speaking, I think it's the delay on the 60 secs that makes it different. They can change their mind within a certain time period (albeit a short one) to edit their post after hitting "tweet". As we all know, once it's out there, it's out there. Now there's a 60 second delay before it's actually out there. I am assuming that's the benefit/reasoning behind it.

That's like saying "one - two - three - GO" when you're lifting a couch instead of just "one - two - THREE". Where do you draw the line? Why not give people even more time to brace themselves and say "one - two - three - and - ready - okay - GO"!

It doesn't solve anything, it just pushes the issue slightly into the future. At some point you still have to make the decision, and if you can't do it before-hand, 60 more seconds shouldn't make the difference. Eventually the 60 seconds will need to be expanded to make up for all the careless people who couldn't click the undo button in time, and so on and so on.

[skinnypete88]

I think there is real concern that Musk allowing "free speech" will prevent Twitter from restricting tweets and accounts that are spreading misinformation and false narratives. Trump might not want to return but the fact that the question is out there shows how despite the fact that Twitter banned his account for legitimate concerns, Musk could potentially reverse it. What if Qanon just pays Musk money to have unrestricted tweets? What if Bezos works with Musk and suppresses all Union news and talk on Twitter?

Now that it's private, if Musk allows it to run rampant in the name of free speech we could see a rise in more of the same populism that has been festering in Western democracies.

[blayze]

Bezos stirring the pot today with his China comment - which is a totally valid point

(China now has leverage over Twitter - and by extension the American Media - since Musk needs China for Tesla)

[senryu]

The man who publicly identified a rescue diver who saved the lives of 12 children trapped underwater as being a pedophile because the diver didn't agree with the man's idea for tiny submarines, and then manufactured and distributed false "evidence" of the diver supposedly being a pedophile, is completely trustworthy and will always do what is best.

[doulos]

I think there is real concern that Musk allowing "free speech" will prevent Twitter from restricting tweets and accounts that are spreading misinformation and false narratives. Trump might not want to return but the fact that the question is out there shows how despite the fact that Twitter banned his account for legitimate concerns, Musk could potentially reverse it. What if Qanon just pays Musk money to have unrestricted tweets? What if Bezos works with Musk and suppresses all Union news and talk on Twitter?

Now that it's private, if Musk allows it to run rampant in the name of free speech we could see a rise in more of the same populism that has been festering in Western democracies.

I have always found these concerns about twitter to be a little odd. Anyone who spends any amount of time using twitter knows that all sorts of vile and heinous things are allowed there. It's a misinformation cesspool, just like facebook is. All they have done is removed a few of the most high profile abusers of fake information, but even in that they have done a piss poor job of it . I doubt much will really change in a practical sense with him running the show.

[Canucks_fan18]

It's funny how people are so concerned about misinformation? What ever happened to free will and the ability for people to decide what is the truth for themselves. If you truly feel we need censorship to stop the spread of misinformation than your saying we as a society are too easily manipulated and stupid to decipher fact from fiction. If that is the case than maybe we should be state run and not be able to make our own decisions

Misinformation has been around for years. Sometimes it's corporations, Tobacco industry, sometimes it's the government the Vietnam war and sometimes it's just plain old charlatans Kevin Trudeau author of "natural cures they don't want you to know about", remember that one? Point being give me the information and I will use the information for right or wrong how I see fit.

[rataylor22]

So much funny in that post lmao.