Elon Musk Says He Wants To 'Unlock' Twitter's Potential For The 'Future Of Civilization'

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Elon Musk
Wikimedia Commons | Felixsj

Elon Musk — the world's richest man, and someone who can't decide whether to be a cartoonish superhero or a cartoonish supervillain on any given day — says his purchase of Twitter is for the betterment of humanity.

It's big talk, and it's exactly what we've come to expect from Elon Musk.

He has a love/hate relationship with Twitter.

It's hard to believe that it's only been a month since Musk put out this Twitter poll. Shortly after he posted this, he became Twitter's biggest shareholder because money is no obstacle when you're worth a quarter of a trillion dollars.

He set his sights on Twitter.

It's one thing to buy a bunch of shares of a company, and it's another thing to own the company outright. While his shares gave him close to ten percent of the company, a more recent SEC filing showed that he's willing to pay $44 billion for the whole company.

Why does he want to own Twitter so badly?

Elon Musk speaking with TED head Chris Anderson
youtube | TED

If he's to be believed, it has nothing to do with profits and everything to do with free speech.

In an interview with TED head Chris Anderson, Musk said, "I think it's very important for there to be an inclusive arena for free speech."

This is about Twitter bans, isn't it?

Phone showing Twitter logo
Unsplash | Christian Lue

Musk had some grandiose words about the importance of free speech, saying that Twitter is a "de facto town square," adding that it's "extremely important to the future of civilization."

Free speech is important indeed, but this is something that's typically guaranteed by a governing body, not a private company like Twitter.

Twitter has accepted his bid.

Twitter's San Francisco Headquarters
Wikimedia Commons | MatthewKeys

Earlier reports that the company would do anything to keep Twitter from falling into Musk's hands — including creating more shares to make a takeover impossible — cooled over the weekend, and the two sides finally came to an agreement for Musk to takeover ownership of the platform.

Can he unlock Twitter's potential?

Elon Musk
Wikimedia Commons | NASA

Twitter seems to have reached its full potential as a hive for hot takes and disinformation bots, but Musk thinks there's more. In his SEC filing, he wrote, "Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it."

He's a man who knows how to make news.

Elon Musk
Wikimedia Commons | Heisenberg Media

Did this all come about because Musk's account got suspended? Is he trying to manipulate the stock market? Does he genuinely want Twitter to be a better, more inclusive place? It's impossible to tell with Elon Musk.

What do you think?

Elon Musk
Wikimedia Commons | Felixsj

We'll no doubt hear more about Musk's push to acquire Twitter in the coming days, and we'll continue to provide updates on every development.

What's your take on this? Would your Twitter usage change if Elon Musk was in charge of the operation? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.