Elon Musk: ‘Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape’

Tesla CEO and incoming Twitter boss Elon Musk sent a message to the social media platform’s advertisers on Thursday that “Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape.”

In a statement on Twitter, Musk explained he bought the site in an attempt to promote free speech online, but added that did not mean “anything can be said with no consequences!”

“In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature,” the SpaceX founder continued.

Musk’s championing of free speech has spurred concerns that he could drop policies barring hate speech, threats of violence and COVID-19 disinformation on the platform, as well as allowing the return of former President Trump.

He wrote Thursday he acquired the social media company because the “future of civilization” hinges on “a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.”

“There is currently a great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society,” he wrote.

The South African multibillionaire, who made a $44 billion offer for Twitter earlier this year, shared a vision for “highly relevant ads” on Twitter that are able to “delight, entertain and inform,” as opposed to empty marketing that amounts to “spam.”

“In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost,” Musk wrote.

Musk, who is expected to close his deal to buy Twitter by Friday, updated his bio on the site to describe himself as “Chief Twit” on Wednesday.

The investor backed out of his initial agreement with the company in July, criticizing Twitter for a lack of transparency over the number of fake accounts it hosts, but reversed that decision ahead of a trial over Twitter’s lawsuit seeking to force him to complete the purchase.