“Probably close to zero new cases in US as well by end of April,” the world’s richest man tweeted about COVID-19 in March 2020 as the pandemic grew. It’s one of several tweets that offer a glimpse into the mind of Twitter’s new owner and chief moderator. Playful, aggressive and sometimes reckless, Musk’s past tweets show how he has used social media to promote his businesses, respond to critics and cement his brand as a brash billionaire who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Musk joined Twitter in 2009 and now has more than 112 million followers – the third most of any account behind former President Barack Obama and Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It had long considered buying the platform before the $44 billion deal was finalized last week. Musk hasn’t detailed the changes he plans to make at Twitter, though he hasn’t wasted any time making widespread layoffs. But he has said he wants to make Twitter a haven for free speech. He said he disagreed with the platform’s decision to ban former President Donald Trump for inciting violence ahead of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. “I hope even my worst critics stay on Twitter, because that’s what free speech is all about,” Musk wrote earlier this year when he announced his intention to buy the platform. As CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk uses his Twitter account to make business announcements and promote his businesses. He thinks about technology and commerce, but has posted jokes about women’s breasts and once compared Canada’s prime minister to Hitler. He regularly weighs in on world events, as he did in March 2020 when he tweeted that “The coronavirus pandemic is stupid.” That same month, he tweeted that children were largely immune to the virus and predicted that cases would soon disappear. Musk also used his Twitter account to weigh in on other big news events — with mixed results. This fall, Musk angered leaders in Ukraine when he took to Twitter to pitch a potential peace deal. Under Musk’s plan, Russia could keep Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and Ukraine would have to abandon its plans to join NATO. Musk also suggested that people living in other areas illegally annexed by Russia should vote on whether Russia or Ukraine should gain control of the territories — a move Ukraine supporters said would reward Russia for her illegal assault. “The danger here is that in the name of ‘free speech,’ Musk will turn back the clock and make Twitter a more powerful engine of hate, division and misinformation,” said Paul Barrett, a disinformation researcher and deputy director of the Center of Business and Human Rights from New York University. Stern singled out Musk’s comments on Ukraine as particularly troubling. “This won’t be pretty,” he said. Just days after buying Twitter, Musk ran into another firestorm when he posted a link to an article promoting an outlandish conspiracy theory about the attack on the US president’s husband, Nancy Pelosi. The article suggested that Paul Pelosi and his attacker were lovers, even though authorities said the suspect confessed to targeting the speaker and did not know her husband. Musk later deleted the tweet without explanation. Musk has long used his Twitter account’s megaphone to fire back at critics or people he opposes, such as when he attacked a diver working to rescue boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, calling him a “pedo,” short for pedophile. The diver had previously scoffed at Musk’s suggestion of using a submarine to rescue the boys. Musk, who won a defamation lawsuit filed by the diver, later said he never intended “pedo” to mean “child killer.” Three days before Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter, the world’s richest man tweeted a photo of Bill Gates and used a vulgar sexual term to make a joke about his belly. Earlier this year he criticized the Twitter executive in charge of the platform’s legal, policy and trust departments. In response to his tweets about the executive, many of Musk’s followers lashed out with misogynistic and racist attacks, in addition to calls for Musk to fire her when the Twitter purchase was approved. Musk fired the executive on the first day. Musk’s use of Twitter has at times led to problems for his own companies. In an August 2018 tweet, for example, Musk claimed he had the financing to take Tesla private for $420 per share, although a court ruled that was not true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting. Last year, another federal agency, the National Labor Relations Board, ordered Musk to delete a tweet that officials said illegally threatened to cut stock options for Tesla employees who joined the United Auto Workers union. Those tweets helped cement Musk’s reputation as a brash outsider. But that doesn’t mean he’s equipped to run a social media platform with more than 200 million users, said Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who studies social media. Grygiel has assigned Musk’s tweets as reading material for students. “Look at the feed: It’s everywhere. It’s naughty. Sometimes it’s quite extreme,” Grygiel said. “It paints him as some kind of rebel leader who will take control of the public square to save it. This is a myth he has made up.”
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title: “Musk S Past Tweets Reveal Clues About Twitter S New Owner " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-02” author: “Felicia Payne”
“Probably close to zero new cases in US as well by end of April,” the world’s richest man tweeted about COVID-19 in March 2020 as the pandemic grew. It’s one of several tweets that offer a glimpse into the mind of Twitter’s new owner and chief moderator. Playful, aggressive and sometimes reckless, Musk’s past tweets show how he has used social media to promote his businesses, respond to critics and cement his brand as a brash billionaire who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Musk joined Twitter in 2009 and now has more than 112 million followers – the third most of any account behind former President Barack Obama and Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It had long considered buying the platform before the $44 billion deal was finalized last week. Musk hasn’t detailed the changes he plans to make at Twitter, though he hasn’t wasted any time making widespread layoffs. But he has said he wants to make Twitter a haven for free speech. He said he disagreed with the platform’s decision to ban former President Donald Trump for inciting violence ahead of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. “I hope even my worst critics stay on Twitter, because that’s what free speech is all about,” Musk wrote earlier this year when he announced his intention to buy the platform. As CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk uses his Twitter account to make business announcements and promote his businesses. He thinks about technology and commerce, but has posted jokes about women’s breasts and once compared Canada’s prime minister to Hitler. He regularly weighs in on world events, as he did in March 2020 when he tweeted that “The coronavirus pandemic is stupid.” That same month, he tweeted that children were largely immune to the virus and predicted that cases would soon disappear. Musk also used his Twitter account to weigh in on other big news events — with mixed results. This fall, Musk angered leaders in Ukraine when he took to Twitter to pitch a potential peace deal. Under Musk’s plan, Russia could keep Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and Ukraine would have to abandon its plans to join NATO. Musk also suggested that people living in other areas illegally annexed by Russia should vote on whether Russia or Ukraine should gain control of the territories — a move Ukraine supporters said would reward Russia for her illegal assault. “The danger here is that in the name of ‘free speech,’ Musk will turn back the clock and make Twitter a more powerful engine of hate, division and misinformation,” said Paul Barrett, a disinformation researcher and deputy director of the Center of Business and Human Rights from New York University. Stern singled out Musk’s comments on Ukraine as particularly troubling. “This won’t be pretty,” he said. Just days after buying Twitter, Musk ran into another firestorm when he posted a link to an article promoting an outlandish conspiracy theory about the attack on the US president’s husband, Nancy Pelosi. The article suggested that Paul Pelosi and his attacker were lovers, even though authorities said the suspect confessed to targeting the speaker and did not know her husband. Musk later deleted the tweet without explanation. Musk has long used his Twitter account’s megaphone to fire back at critics or people he opposes, such as when he attacked a diver working to rescue boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, calling him a “pedo,” short for pedophile. The diver had previously scoffed at Musk’s suggestion of using a submarine to rescue the boys. Musk, who won a defamation lawsuit filed by the diver, later said he never intended “pedo” to mean “child killer.” Three days before Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter, the world’s richest man tweeted a photo of Bill Gates and used a vulgar sexual term to make a joke about his belly. Earlier this year he criticized the Twitter executive in charge of the platform’s legal, policy and trust departments. In response to his tweets about the executive, many of Musk’s followers lashed out with misogynistic and racist attacks, in addition to calls for Musk to fire her when the Twitter purchase was approved. Musk fired the executive on the first day. Musk’s use of Twitter has at times led to problems for his own companies. In an August 2018 tweet, for example, Musk claimed he had the financing to take Tesla private for $420 per share, although a court ruled that was not true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting. Last year, another federal agency, the National Labor Relations Board, ordered Musk to delete a tweet that officials said illegally threatened to cut stock options for Tesla employees who joined the United Auto Workers union. Those tweets helped cement Musk’s reputation as a brash outsider. But that doesn’t mean he’s equipped to run a social media platform with more than 200 million users, said Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who studies social media. Grygiel has assigned Musk’s tweets as reading material for students. “Look at the feed: It’s everywhere. It’s naughty. Sometimes it’s quite extreme,” Grygiel said. “It paints him as some kind of rebel leader who will take control of the public square to save it. This is a myth he has made up.”
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title: “Musk S Past Tweets Reveal Clues About Twitter S New Owner " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-12” author: “Marshall Albrecht”
Comment He may be good with rockets and electric cars, but don’t look to Elon Musk for public health predictions. “Probably close to zero new cases in US as well by end of April,” the world’s richest man tweeted about COVID-19 in March 2020 as the pandemic grew. It’s one of several tweets that offer a glimpse into the mind of Twitter’s new owner and chief moderator. Playful, aggressive and sometimes reckless, Musk’s past tweets show how he has used social media to promote his businesses, respond to critics and cement his brand as a brash billionaire who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Musk joined Twitter in 2009 and now has more than 112 million followers – the third most of any account behind former President Barack Obama and Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It had long considered buying the platform before the $44 billion deal was finalized last week. Musk hasn’t detailed the changes he plans to make at Twitter, though he hasn’t wasted any time making widespread layoffs. But he has said he wants to make Twitter a haven for free speech. He said he disagreed with the platform’s decision to ban former President Donald Trump for inciting violence ahead of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. “I hope even my worst critics stay on Twitter, because that’s what free speech is all about,” Musk wrote earlier this year when he announced his intention to buy the platform. As CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk uses his Twitter account to make business announcements and promote his businesses. He thinks about technology and commerce, but has posted jokes about women’s breasts and once compared Canada’s prime minister to Hitler. He regularly weighs in on world events, as he did in March 2020 when he tweeted that “The coronavirus pandemic is stupid.” That same month, he tweeted that children were largely immune to the virus and predicted that cases would soon disappear. Musk also used his Twitter account to weigh in on other big news events — with mixed results. This fall, Musk angered leaders in Ukraine when he took to Twitter to pitch a potential peace deal. Under Musk’s plan, Russia could keep Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and Ukraine would have to abandon its plans to join NATO. Musk also suggested that people living in other areas illegally annexed by Russia should vote on whether Russia or Ukraine should gain control of the territories — a move Ukraine supporters said would reward Russia for her illegal assault. “The danger here is that in the name of ‘free speech,’ Musk will turn back the clock and make Twitter a more powerful engine of hate, division and misinformation,” said Paul Barrett, a disinformation researcher and deputy director of the Center of Business and Human Rights from New York University. Stern singled out Musk’s comments on Ukraine as particularly troubling. “This won’t be pretty,” he said. Just days after buying Twitter, Musk ran into another firestorm when he posted a link to an article promoting an outlandish conspiracy theory about the attack on the US president’s husband, Nancy Pelosi. The article suggested that Paul Pelosi and his attacker were lovers, even though authorities said the suspect confessed to targeting the speaker and did not know her husband. Musk later deleted the tweet without explanation. Musk has long used his Twitter account’s megaphone to fire back at critics or people he opposes, such as when he attacked a diver working to rescue boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, calling him a “pedo,” short for pedophile. The diver had previously scoffed at Musk’s suggestion of using a submarine to rescue the boys. Musk, who won a defamation lawsuit filed by the diver, later said he never intended “pedo” to mean “child killer.” Three days before Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter, the world’s richest man tweeted a photo of Bill Gates and used a vulgar sexual term to make a joke about his belly. Earlier this year he criticized the Twitter executive in charge of the platform’s legal, policy and trust departments. In response to his tweets about the executive, many of Musk’s followers lashed out with misogynistic and racist attacks, in addition to calls for Musk to fire her when the Twitter purchase was approved. Musk fired the executive on the first day. Musk’s use of Twitter has at times led to problems for his own companies. In an August 2018 tweet, for example, Musk claimed he had the financing to take Tesla private for $420 per share, although a court ruled that was not true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting. Last year, another federal agency, the National Labor Relations Board, ordered Musk to delete a tweet that officials said illegally threatened to cut stock options for Tesla employees who joined the United Auto Workers union. Those tweets helped cement Musk’s reputation as a brash outsider. But that doesn’t mean he’s equipped to run a social media platform with more than 200 million users, said Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who studies social media. Grygiel has assigned Musk’s tweets as reading material for students. “Look at the feed: It’s everywhere. It’s naughty. Sometimes it’s quite extreme,” Grygiel said. “It paints him as some kind of rebel leader who will take control of the public square to save it. This is a myth he has made up.” Follow AP coverage of Elon Musk at and follow misinformation coverage at
