The Washington Post editorial board has said it hopes Tesla CEO Elon Musk “doesn’t win” in his bid to purchase 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.
Musk, who is Twitter’s largest shareholder, has made an offer to buy Twitter at $54.20 per share in cash, which would amount to $43 billion and which he said is his “best and final” offer.
The company’s board said on Thursday that the billionaire’s offer is under consideration.
The Washington Post editorial board said that Musk’s attempt to purchase the social media giant was an “opportunity for him to get attention, even if he doesn’t end up getting his way” and that “the substance of his ideas for the future of Twitter are worth some wariness on their own.”
They further noted that Musk has promised to make Twitter a “platform for free speech around the globe.”
The businessman has previously questioned Twitter’s commitment to free speech, after repeated accusations that the platform has censored some minority and politically conservative viewpoints.
Twitter has denied those claims.
But the Post’s editorial board said that Musk’s vision regarding free speech is more or less the same one that was held by former CEO Jack Dorsey, particularly in the early days of the platform, while noting that Twitter over time gravitated towards stricter rules because they “learned some lessons after observing how their products can be abused to manipulate elections, or spread health misinformation, or harass people en masse.”
“Certainly, moderators sometimes make mistakes, and more transparency surrounding enforcement decisions is in order. But a broader backtracking would be an error,” the board wrote. “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.”
They also noted that Musk allegedly failed to disclose his stake in the company on time.
“This is only the latest episode in which Mr. Musk has shown disregard for the Securities and Exchange Commission,” the board wrote. “By failing to discipline him this time, the agency will only further lose credibility.”
The Epoch Times has contacted a Musk spokesperson and The Washington Post editorial board for comment.
The opinion piece comes shortly after Musk admitted that he is unsure if he will actually be able to acquire Twitter but hinted at a backup plan if his takeover of the company fails.
