Tech

Elon Musk hated Twitter’s free speech policy so much… he bought $3bn shares to take control

Published

3 years ago

April 5, 2022

Billionaire co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of electric vehicle maker, Tesla,
Elon Musk, hated Twitter free speech principles so much he had to purchase a 9.2 percent stake in the company worth approximately $3bn, to take control.

As the shock of the acquisition begins to settle down after Musk purchased exactly 73,486,938 Twitter shares to make him the single largest shareholder in the social media company, past tweets by the world’s richest man have revealed he was so angry with the free speech policies of the platform that he bought over the platform.

Musk who now has four times the number of shares the company’s founder, Jack Dorsey, had always been critical of Twitter’s free speech principles and on several occasions, had called for censorship to be stripped back and even shared a tweet discussing this view.

“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy,” he had once written.

“What should be done?” He added, with a poll which had majority of respondents giving him support, with some asking him to do something about it.

Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy.

Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2022

In another tweet shortly before buying the shares, Musk had insinuated that he could take over the platform with his followers not knowing he had already purchased his stake in the company at that point.

Experts have quickly drawn up the conclusion that his purchase of the Twitter shares was made with the aim of bringing about some significant changes at Twitter.

With Musk’s purchase of the shares, and the company stock shooting up by 25 percent within 24 hours of the announcement, investors are looking forward to sweeping, positive changes in the near future.

The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2022

Musk is yet to tweet about his purchase of Twitter shares but his 80 million followers may not have to wait for long.

Related Topics:Elon Musk Featured Shares Twitter

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Tech

Facebook returns to Uganda after 4-year ban

Published

2 days ago

December 24, 2024

Isaac Dachen

After four years of being in the cooler as a result of suspension by government, Facebook, now Meta, is making a return to Uganda after prolonged negotiations saw the Ugandan government reverse the ban it placed on the platform since 2021.

The suspension of the social media platform had stemmed from accusations by the government that Facebook was meddling in the country’s political affairs during the 2021 presidential elections which arose after it deleted government-affiliated accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation.

This ban of Facebook has led to widespread disruptions across the nation, affecting not only political discourse but also personal connections and business operations.

But according to reports, with a potential re-launch on the horizon for December 2024, Facebook’s comeback could be a game-changer with approximately 2.5 million Ugandans poised to reconnect on the platform, while the Uganda Revenue Authority stands to gain financially from its revival just as businesses, especially smaller enterprises, stand to benefit from advertising incomes.

Tech

20 African tech-preneurs embark on Korean innovation tour

Published

4 days ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The African Development Bank Group’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab has selected 20 promising tech entrepreneurs from various African technology ventures and enterprise support organisations to embark on a two-week study tour of the Republic of Korea, with the aim of seeking investment and insights from the country’s innovative tech ecosystem.

The selected entrepreneurs are from 133 ventures that participated in last month’s Africa Tech Startup Forum.

The forum which will hold under the auspices of the lab’s “Leveraging the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Success of Korea to Strengthen African Enterprise Support” project, had selected entrepreneurs who pitched the best business models during the week-long virtual market access and acceleration programme preparing, training, and connecting technology ventures with opportunities.

The 20 young tech-preneurs were selected from eight African countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, with the delegates spanning various sectors in the technology space.

While in Korea, the African delegates will pay visits to prestigious institutions such as Global Startup Centre, LG Science Park, the Korea Software Technology Association, and the Global Digital Innovation Network.

Speaking on behalf of the delegates, founder of Kenya-based health technology venture Zuri Health, Uche Ezadinachi said:

“I am excited to go to Korea because the country has made serious technological developments. The country is a technology-driven society, and this tour is an opportunity for me to see how we can bring such technology to Africa.

“We will share experiences with our Korean counterparts; they will learn from us as much as we learn from them,” he added.