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It is more than evident that Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter is good news for all of us who love freedom. We can say goodbye to (or at least trust that it will reduce) shadowbans, the banning of politically incorrect accounts, and the prohibition of questioning the establishment regarding gender ideology, Critical Race Theory, and COVID, among others.
However, amid comments that this is the 21st century equivalent of the end of slavery and other triumphalist writings, it seems unclear to many that Elon Musk faces a huge challenge and that, while it is a significant improvement over the philosopher-kings of Silicon Valley, also does not align himself with the conservative movements of the world.
Elon Musk’s first big challenge is internal. First, he has to deal with Twitter’s own staff, who will try to sabotage him and with Twitter’s debt problems, even though he already got a one-year extension.
Second, there is the immense political pressure he will face in the U.S. and Europe to maintain the “content moderation” policies previously imposed. At the same time, Musk’s business ties through Tesla with the Chinese regime are widely known. Will he bow to pressure if the Chinese regime asks him to censor content, or will he face potential losses at Tesla? It remains to be seen.
None of this is to say that the Twitter purchase is not good news. It certainly is. It’s refreshing to be able to speak basic truths of biology without feeling fear of being suspended. However, Musk will be going up against the rest of Silicon Valley and the Biden administration and, ultimately, he is an entrepreneur, not a politician or a do-gooder. He’s going to act on his pocketbook. For now, that aligns with those of us who defend freedom.
Edgar is political scientist and philosopher. He defends the Catholic intellectual tradition. Edgar writes about religion, ideology, culture, US politics, abortion, and the Supreme Court. Twitter: @edgarjbb_ // Edgar es politólogo y filósofo. Defiende la tradición intelectual católica. Edgar escribe sobre religión, ideología, cultura, política doméstica, aborto y la Corte Suprema. Twitter: @edgarjbb_