Elon Musk tweeted on 27 March that he is "seriously" considering on building a new social media platform.
He was responding to a question on whether he would consider building a social media platform prioritising free speech with minimal propaganda, consisting of an open source algorithm.
Key Highlights
- The chief executive officer of Tesla tweeted on 25 March, criticising Twitter on undermining democracy by failing to adhere to free speech principles.
- The tweet came a day after Musk put up a Twitter poll asking users if they believed Twitter adheres to the free speech principles, to which over 70% voted "no".
- On 8 March, Musk asked the federal judge to terminate his 2018 agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requiring Tesla lawyers to vet his tweets about the company before posting them.
- If Musk proceeds with creating the social media platform, he would be joining a growing list of technology companies that are establishing themselves as platforms championing free speech.
- Rumble, Parler, Gettr and Donald Trump's own Truth Social were formed as alternative social media platforms, but have not come close to reaching the popularity of mainstream platforms to date.
Background of Elon Musk
- He is the co-founder and CEO of electric car maker, Tesla and aerospace manufacturer, SpaceX.
- He was heavily involved in forming the company that became PayPal.
- As of 2021, he has an estimated total net worth of $151 billion which is only surpassed by Jeff Bezos as the richest person in the world.
