Elon Musk, who recently joined Twitter’s board of directors, sent a cryptic tweet on Saturday asking whether Twitter is “dying,” coming just days after Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes called Twitter a “ghost town” when asked to comment on Musk’s involvement in the company.
Musk, who recently bought a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter that made him the company’s biggest individual shareholder, on Saturday shared a tweet featuring a list of top accounts on the platform, noting in his caption that they “tweet rarely and post very little content.”
“Is Twitter dying?” Musk asked.
Musk’s surprise move to take a stake in Twitter and later joining its board became one of the biggest tech stories in the past week. The move fueled speculation whether Musk might have plans to shake up the social media giant, whose commitment to free speech he has called into question.
Twitter has been repeatedly accused of censoring some minority and politically conservative viewpoints, claims that the company denies.
Musk’s ascension to Twitter board member was met with calls from prominent conservatives for him to chart a new course at the company.
‘Kind of a Ghost Town’
Devin Nunes, former lawmaker and current CEO of Truth Social, the social media startup created by a company founded by Trump, was asked in a recent interview on Fox News what he thought of Musk taking a stake in Twitter and joining its board.Nunes responded that Trump’s intention in backing Truth Social was prompted by a desire to “open the internet back up so that the American people can get their voice back.”
Musk has not disclosed any plans he might have for Twitter, though the company’s CEO Parag Agrawal said it’s “clear” Musk would bring “great value” to the company’s decision-making body.
Musk’s Saturday tweet about Twitter “dying” drew a flurry of comments from users, including one by popular conservative podcaster David Rubin, who said Twitter has outlived its usefulness and it’s time for something “entirely new.”
“A lot of those people used it while they needed it and moved on. Many people view Twitter as a necessary evil. We need an entirely new ecosystem more than fixing a few features,” Rubin said.