Elon Musk reveals why he is buying Twitter as he says he does not want platform to be 'free-for-all hellscape'

27 October 2022, 16:00

Elon Musk has told businesses he is buying Twitter because he believes it is "important to the future of civilisation".

He has told advertisers he did not want the platform to become a "free-for-all hellscape" after previously branding himself a "free speech absolutist".

Mr Musk, the world's richest man who runs SpaceX and Tesla, is buying Twitter for $44bn. His drawn-out takeover, which he appeared to get cold feet over at one point after criticising the amount of bots on the platform, led to questions over how he would run it.

In a tweet on Thursday, addressed to advertising companies, he said: "The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilisation to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a health manner without resorting to violence.

Read more: Elon Musk 'threatens to fire 75% of Twitter staff' after $44 billion takeover

"There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide in our society."

He said the traditional media was in a "relentless pursuit of clicks" that catered to those extremes and that resulted in lost opportunities for dialogue.

"I didn't do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love," he said.

"And I do so with humility, recognising that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility."

Commentators speculated if he would overhaul Twitter's terms and conditions after his remarks about free speech.

That also generated questions over whether he would un-ban Donald Trump.

But he said it "cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!"

He said Twitter must be "warm and welcoming".

Mr Musk was filmed walking into Twitter's San Francisco headquarters carrying a sink.

"Let that sink in," he tweeted.

President Poroshenko tells Elon Musk 'come to Kyiv'.

But his takeover has been mired by a staff rebellion over reports he could cut sack 75% of the company's staff.

Previously he talked about how he thinks the company is "bloated" and that the firm's 7,500 workforce has an issue with "left-wing bias".

"Elon Musk's plan to lay off 75% of Twitter workers will hurt Twitter's ability to serve the public conversation," a letter from employees read.

"A threat of this magnitude is reckless, undermines our users' and customers' trust in our platform, and is a transparent act of worker intimidation."

Mr Musk, who updated his Twitter bio to read "Chief Twit", is a frequent Twitter user, and not without controversy.

While he often posts musings and memes, liked and retweeted tens of thousands of times, the businessman recently got embroiled in a spat when he asked users to vote on whether Russia should be allowed to annex regions of Ukraine it has tried to absorb in its bloody and failed invasion.