Elon Musk detailed why he decided to seek ownership of Twitter in a statement released on the platform Thursday morning.
Following reports that the tech billionaire may secure his purchase of Twitter by Friday to avoid legal proceedings, the prospective owner took to the platform to explain his decision in a post captioned, “Dear Twitter Advertisers.”
“I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation in acquiring Twitter,” Musk said in a text-based image. “There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most if it has been wrong.”
Musk continued detailing an apparent sociopolitical divide on the platform:
The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence. There is currently a great danger that social media will splinter unto far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.
Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022
“In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost,” read Musk’s statement which noted the platform’s sensationalization of viral content. “That is why I bought Twitter. I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to help make more money. I did try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility. ”
The statement continued as Musk conceded the platform still required ground rules to participate:
That said, Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all-hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences! In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature. I also very much believe that advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed, but is right for you. For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs. Low relevance ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actual content!
“Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise,” Musk concluded. “To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together.”
On Wednesday, Musk appeared to foreshadow his Thursday statement by tweeting, “a beautiful thing about Twitter is how it empowers citizen journalism – people are able to disseminate news without an establishment bias.”
A beautiful thing about Twitter is how it empowers citizen journalism – people are able to disseminate news without an establishment bias
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
Previous reports claimed that Musk planned on firing 75 percent of current Twitter employees, bringing a roughly 7,500 member workforce down to about 2,000, according to the Washington Post. The claim, however, was recently disputed by those familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 26.
