Time.news – “I hope that even my worst critics will remain on Twitter, because this is what freedom of speech means”, so at 6 pm on April 25 Elon Musk on Twitter, the platform that he would have officially acquired just a few hours later. Basically the first tweet from a landlord. The logic of a $ 44 billion financial operation will be a subject of study for analysts in the coming years, but in the meantime a tsunami of reactions has been unleashed: because Twitter is also our home. Of course, it has just over 300 million users, but it is without a doubt the most influential social network in the political and financial debate. In short, the one where followers count for how much they weigh not for how many they are.
Employees
Aside from followers, Twitter is also a workplace. As in any company in the world, the change at the top is more or less an earthquake, with telluric waves spreading from the top to the last of the employees: the company has more than 7,000. As rumors of Musk’s acquisition became official Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal raised questions on Monday about the future of his job, the company’s board of directors and possible layoffs. Uncertainty seems to be the most common term. Although, it seems, there are currently no layoffs planned for now. Agrawal said he would remain as CEO until the deal was concluded, but did not comment on what would happen next. However, the company’s board of directors will dissolve once the agreement is concluded. Times? Before the end of the year.
I Radiohead e Jack Dorsey
On April 26th at 3.41 am Jack Dorsey (yes he himself the former co-founder of Twitter) called into question the Radiohead of “Everything In Its Right Place” to have his say on Elon Musk’s operation. Dorsey followed up on his (a bit cryptic to be honest) tweet with a short thread explaining why he’s so happy to release songs from an album about being a human in a world dominated by technology: ” Twitter as a company has always been my only problem and my biggest regret. It was owned by Wall Street and the advertising model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step ». The reference is to Elon Musk’s will to delist the company. «Twitter – he added – is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness. Elon is the only solution that I trust. I trust in its mission to extend the light of conscience ».
Jeff Bezos and the Cinema
After the deal was made official, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos tweeted on April 26 that now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter, China has acquired a sphere of influence. “Interesting question. Has the Chinese government just gained some leverage in the city square? “Bezos added in response to a New York Times reporter who pointed out that Tesla is dependent on China for its large market and lithium batteries. . Amazon founder and Musk often threw broadsides. In early April Musk tweeted that the Washington Post, owned by Bezos, is “always good for a laugh,” in response to an editorial in the newspaper. titled “Elon Musk’s Twitter Investment Could Be Bad News for Free Speech.”
L’Europa e il Digital service act
Last weekend the EU reached an agreement on the Digital Services Act (or DSA), the bill with which the Union aims to impose greater responsibility on the large multinationals of the network for illegal or harmful content circulating on their platforms . A regulation designed above all to combat fake news. It means that user-generated content platforms like Twitter will need to implement robust content moderation systems to ensure they can quickly remove illegal material such as hate speech, incitement to terrorism and harmful content.
At this stage it is unclear what exactly Musk plans to do with Twitter. What is certain is that Musk has called himself a “free speech absolutist” and said he wants to reform Twitter as a “digital town square” with fewer restrictions on what users can say.
Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, considered one of the key minds of the European Union’s digital reforms, warned Musk that he will have to adapt to new digital regulations. “Whether it’s cars or social media, any company operating in Europe must abide by our rules,” he tweeted Tuesday. According to Carl Tobias, a professor of law at the University of Richmond, Musk’s acquisition of Twitter “could be the first big test for DSA.”