Express View | Elon Musk: Not such a free speech absolutist

Earlier this week, Musk tweeted “Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users” and that “some revenue is better than none!”. On the face of it, his logic isn’t all that unreasonable. Why should corporations and governments avail a service for free? After all, Twitter is a for-profit company, and making money is its ultimate aim. But what raises suspicion is Musk’s earlier posturing, his claim that his stewardship was about principle and not profit. Perhaps he has changed his mind, given the speculation that the estimated $1 billion interest on the loan he took out to fund the purchase will need to be recouped: A more lean, profitable company can be taken public again, and earn Musk a neat packet to boot.

The world’s richest man is sending mixed messages. Is Twitter to be more about profit, a shrewd business deal by a consummate businessman or is it a political-social mission? Given how much he oscillates, and how controversial his social media persona has been, Musk must clarify whether, if the bottom line demands it, free speech will need to be paid for. After all, he came out against content moderation of hate speech and bigotry. A monetary barrier to entry is, perhaps, the kind of gatekeeping to the right to free expression that billionaire activists are okay with.