Twitter CEO Elon Musk appears set for his next battle against the mainstream media, as the eccentric tech billionaire has indicated some interest in acquiring Substack. Substack, an online publishing platform, could work hand in hand with his $44 billion purchase of Twitter to strengthen his media empire.
Yesterday, Muske seemed particularly upset with what he perceives to be censorship and unfairness from corporate journalism.
“Why is corporate journalism rushing to defend the state instead of the people?”
Why is corporate journalism rushing to defend the state instead of the people? https://t.co/uqR0MwiqCx
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2022
It seems that this afternoon’s Tweet got Musk’s juices flowing, and he began discussing ways to combat the current state of corporate journalism. His following exchange with Twitter user Wall Street Silver seems to indicate that a deal to purchase or partner with Substack may be in the works.
Wall Stree Silver: “Would it make sense for Twitter to buy Substack and more tightly connect the two platforms. Twitter plus Substack creates instantly massive competition for obsolete legacy corporate media.”
Musk: “I’m open to the idea.”
I’m open to the idea
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 28, 2022
As we have come to learn, when Musk begins playing with an idea, he is not hesitant to take quick and drastic action. Could a deal be in the works? While nothing has been confirmed, it seems that Musk is looking very closely at that possibility.
During the rest of the evening, Musk continued to make remarks that strengthened the rumors that he was interested in moving into the content game. When Twitter user The Rabbit hole pointed out that corporate media journalism has been controlling narratives for a long time, Musk seemed like he was ready to take up that fight.
The Rabbit Hole: ““The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” ― Malcolm X”
Musk: “Twitter can change that”
Twitter can change that
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 28, 2022
While these messages from Musk may seem small on the surface, a diehard free speech advocate taking control of a major journalism platform would make massive waves in the industry. Presumably, it could lead to the onset of a new era of free-flowing journalism, as writers could freely promote their ideas on Twitter, one of the largest social media platforms.
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