Elon Musk’s Twitter Labeled ‘Febrile Circus’ By CNN — Billionaire Hits Back

Portrait of Elon Musk with Twitter logo. (Benzinga)

Twitter owner Elon Musk expressed his support for “untamed free speech,” emphasizing its value while responding to a tweet by blogger Alex Voight.

When a comment on Twitter highlighted the effectiveness of the social media platform’s community notes feature in a free speech environment compared to CNN’s practices, Musk’s succinct response was “Untamed Free Speech FTW” (for the win).

The user who highlighted Twitter’s community notes feature was responding to CNN’s critique of Twitter’s transformation under Musk’s ownership.

“CNN seems to hate that Twitter community notes works much better in a free speech environment than anything they have ever done,” the user tweeted.

In a report on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announcing his 2024 presidential bid during a Twitter Spaces session with Musk, CNN analyst Stephen Collinson criticized the social media platform, referring to Twitter’s transformation under Musk’s ownership as a “febrile circus of untamed free speech.”

A protester holds a sign supporting Elon Musk during an antiwar rally to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on February 19, 2023. Musk’s contribution of his Starlink satellite internet system to the Ukrainian war effort has been instrumental in frustrating Russian advances. He was placed on Ukrainian “kill list” Myrotvorets after calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis, but removed 15 minutes later.  (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

During the Twitter Spaces session, DeSantis praised Musk’s commitment to freedom of speech on the platform. In response, Musk made a pledge to transform Twitter into a space for open and inclusive discussions.

When Musk bought Twitter in October 2022, he positioned the platform as a bastion of free speech. However, his commitment to free speech has been questioned in the past.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks about Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter and her vision of free speech online with a sign saying “Your account is permanently suspended,” during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday, April 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Just a few days ago, billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban shared his perspective on Musk and his “reach and control” on Twitter. Cuban said while “everyone has access” to Twitter, Musk’s reach and influence surpass others.

Cuban said that Musk “is opinionated and has every right to be and to tweet” what he pleases, “but rather than saying Twitter is the home of free speech, I wish he would just call it like it is. Twitter is his platform and he is going to use it to support and influence the positions he wants to support and influence.”

Produced in association with Benzinga. Zenger News does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Edited by A.J. Cooke and Sterling Creighton Beard