Washington Post editorial board hopes Elon Musk 'doesn't win' Twitter bid: 'Billionaire bluster'
'Moderators sometimes make mistakes,' the board wrote
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post editorial board wrote Sunday that they hope billionaire Elon Musk doesn't succeed in purchasing Twitter.
"Amid his endless provocations and billionaire bluster, the most encouraging thing Mr. Musk has said about his Twitter ambitions is this: 'I am not sure that I will actually be able to acquire it,'" the editorial board wrote. The piece was headlined, "Lets hope Elon Musk doesn't win his bid for Twitter."
Elon Musk declared he’s "not perverted enough to be on CNN" as the liberal network struggles through a series of embarrassing scandals. (Reuters/Aly Song/File Photo)
ELON MUSK'S POSSIBLE TWITTER TAKEOVER RAISES FREE SPEECH QUESTIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The authors wrote that Musk's attempt to purchase the social media giant was a way to get attention and that his ideas for the site are "worth some wariness."
The board said that Musk had a vision much like former CEO Jack Dorsey did, but that Twitter moved towards "stricter" rules because they "learned some lessons."
"Certainly, moderators sometimes make mistakes, and more transparency surrounding enforcement decisions is in order," the authors wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"But a broader backtracking would be an error. To protect speech at all costs and keep Twitter free of bots and spam, as Mr. Musk has said he would like to do, is almost impossible," the authors wrote.
Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia on April 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Several journalists and political commentators have come out against Musk's attempt to take over Twitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington Post columnist Max Boot said that "for democracy to survive, we need more content moderation, not less." MSNBC's Anand Giridharadas said Musk's move is "why to abolish billionaires."
Bloomberg columnist Tim O'Brien said Musk "lacks the temperament" to run the social media platform.
Elon Musk walks from the justice center in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Musk announced in early April that he purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter, becoming the largest shareholder. After declining a seat on the Twitter board of directors, Musk offered to buy Twitter and take it private.
Musk offered to purchase the social media site at $54.20 per share, which would amount to $43 billion.
"I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy," Musk wrote in a SEC filing. "However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form."