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Concerns are centered around Twitter’s ability to monitor content Fear Musk Musk’s views on the measure may allow trolling to flourish Twitter management, employees make daily decisions – representative
April 7 (Reuters) – News that Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk is taking a board position on Twitter (TWTR.N) has prompted some Twitter employees to panic about the future of the social media company’s ability to softens the content, company experts said. Reuters. Within hours of this week’s surprise revelation that Musk, a self-proclaimed “absolute freedom of speech” owner, had acquired enough shares to become Twitter’s top shareholder, political conservatives began flooding social media with calls for the return of Donald Trump. The former US president was banned from Facebook and Twitter after the January 6 uprising in the Capitol due to concerns about inciting violence. “Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, it’s time to end political censorship. Oh … and BRING BACK TRUMP!” Republican Congresswoman Lauren Bobert wrote on Twitter on Monday. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Despite Twitter reiterating this week that the board is not making policy decisions, four Twitter employees who spoke to Reuters said they were concerned about Musk’s ability to influence the company’s policies on abusive users and harmful content. With Musk on the board, officials said his views on moderation could weaken long-standing efforts to make Twitter a safe haven and could allow trolling and mob attacks to flourish. In the wake of Trump’s ban on Facebook and Twitter, the billionaire wrote on Twitter that many people would be unhappy with US tech companies acting “as a de facto arbiter of free speech.” MOSCOW’S INTENTIONS Musk has not stated what he wants to do as a new board member, but he has telegraphed his intentions through his Twitter activity. A week before Musk revealed his 9.1% Twitter account, he polled his 80 million followers on whether the site adhered to the principle of free speech, and a majority voted “no.” Officials, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, point to Musk’s story of using Twitter to attack critics. In 2018, Musk came under fire for accusing a British diver of helping rescue children trapped in a cave in Thailand as a pedophile. Musk won a defamation case filed by the diver in 2019. Asked to comment, a Twitter spokesman reiterated a statement Tuesday that the board “plays an important advisory and feedback role throughout our service,” but day-to-day operations and decisions are made by Twitter’s management and employees. “Twitter is committed to impartiality in developing and enforcing its policies and rules,” the spokesman said. Some of the employees Reuters spoke to were not so sure about the company’s commitment to it. “I find it hard to believe that (the board) has no influence,” said one official. “If so, why would Elon want a seat on the board?” However, other officials interviewed by Reuters said that Musk’s involvement could help accelerate the pace of new features and product launches and offer a new perspective as an active Twitter user. Neither Tesla nor Musk responded to requests for comment. Twitter’s board is more prominent in discussions within Twitter than in any other tech company, an official said. This is because unlike Meta Platforms Inc., where founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg controls the company through a dual-share structure, Twitter has only one stock, making it more vulnerable to activists like Musk. Teams within Twitter often consider how to communicate a strategy or decision to the board, for example, the official said. On Thursday, Musk posted a picture of 2018 smoking weed on Joe Rogan’s podcast on Spotify, with the caption: “Twitter’s next board meeting will light up.” THE TRUMP RETURN? An official familiar with the company’s operations said there were no ongoing plans to reinstate Trump. A Twitter spokesman said there were no plans to overturn any political decision. But a veteran car analyst covering Musk’s operating style at Tesla said such a decision could only be a matter of time. “If Donald Trump was really rich, he wish he had done the same thing, but he could not afford it. So Elon is doing what Trump wanted him to do,” said Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid. . “I’m not surprised if Twitter restores Trump’s account now that Elon owns almost 10% of the company,” he said. In the long run, employees said Musk’s involvement could change Twitter’s corporate culture, which they say currently values engagement. Musk has been widely criticized for posting memes mocking trans people and trying to stem the tide of COVID-19 and for comparing some world leaders to Hitler. Several employees were worried about the warm welcome Musk received from Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and co-founder Jack Dorsey, who pushed them into the job market this week. “Some people dust off their CVs,” said one person. “I do not want to work for someone (like Musk).” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Sheila Dang in Dallas. additional references by Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco. Editing by Kenneth Li, Aurora Ellis and Bernadette Baum Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
