Tesla CEO has acquired the bird, but can he keep it soaring?

By Isaiah Joseph | Published December 19, 2022

I’m sure everyone is fully up to date on the news surrounding Twitter, who wouldn’t be? It’s Twitter and everyone has it.

The wealthiest person on the planet, Elon Musk stated he wanted to own Twitter, one of the most popular social media platforms until he said he didn’t. In early October, he changed his mind again, saying he wanted to complete the deal.

For those who have no idea what Twitter is, read carefully as I give you my best definition of the best platform on the internet. It. Is. Hell. Just kidding, but according to the tech news site, Lifewire, Twitter is an online news and social networking site where people communicate in short messages called tweets. 

But let’s stay within the topic here, Twitter has been bought by someone we least expect. Billionaire and CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, isn’t that insane but the question that lingers in our minds is why?

I don’t want to make this story opinionated but like it is hard not to voice my middle-class opinions as to why a multi-billionaire who can buy a whole island buys one of the greatest forms of media we have today. Answers were needed. And answers were most definitely found…kinda.

Kean senior and bio Quintin Dilworth gave me a very anxious stare as I approached him slightly out of breath, asking him how he feels about the new CEO of Twitter.

“On god dude, it’s f****ing ridiculous, excuse my french,” Dilworth said. “But honestly my initial reaction to Elon Musk finally claiming Twitter was that there was going to be an influx of people who were going to feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of consequence.”

Musk talks about free speech a lot on Twitter especially since it is our God-given right to express how we feel on certain topics, but what if free speech goes too far, what will Musk do to enforce it? 

Back in April of this year Musk made a tweet about freedom of speech before he claimed Twitter.

“By free speech, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law,” Musk said. “If people want less free speech, they will ask the government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.”

If you ask me, I don’t understand what the man is talking about, but again it’s not my opinion here on why a man would drop billions of dollars just to rant about things he doesn’t like without consequences.

“Do I believe speech should be limited? No. I believe people should have the ability to speak their mind but when something is blatantly wrong, I do believe they should be held accountable,” Dilworth said 

Maybe to break it down Musk was probably talking about how free speech is censored and limited which can give off socially unacceptable views on something. This can be an example of former President Donald Trump being banned from the platform because of how he exercised his right to free speech.

Therefore, another perspective on Twitter and Musk was needed but where and who?

Inside the quiet halls of Vaughn Eames there he was, standing at 6 foot 3 inches, dreads down to his back dyed at the tips, staring at the abnormal unique art in the exhibit.

Kean junior, theater major, and light technician, Phillip Thomas was the man I was looking for.

Thomas was very transparent about his thoughts on the controversy and was open-minded on why Musk owning Twitter is a terrible move.

“So I don’t want to think Elon Musk claimed Twitter, I feel like it was more of an acquired thing,” Thomas said. 

In late October he finally did it, Musk acquired Twitter at his original offer price of $54.20 a share at a total cost of roughly $44 billion.

“I only have terrible expectations for people who are rich with no experience and that Elon Musk’s entire story is that he doesn’t know how to be rich,” Thomas said. 

The fate of Twitter is unknown at this point, many events happened within the time Musk took the throne.

According to ABC news in the following days, Musk terminated top executives, laid off half of the company’s staff, assembled a content moderation committee that will review account reinstatements, and revamped the platform’s subscription service.

Many Twitter users are aware that the blue check on Twitter is a symbol for verified accounts, this symbol is specifically seen on celebrities and public influencers’ profiles. Now it is widely seen throughout the app, spreading like a virus.

Users are now able to purchase a blue check verified badge for $8 a month, can you imagine paying to be cool? 

“I think Twitter is going to go through a revamp due to the process of all the employees quitting and he can’t hold up a company like that on his own you know,” Thomas said. 

At this moment we are unsure about the future of Musk’s Twitter, but is it interesting to see what happens over the next few months?

“At the end of the day dawg, I’m there for the memes, Black Twitter, terrible sports fans with dumb takes, and watching white women embarrass themselves on the internet,” Dilworth said. “This is going to be a s*** show.”

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