5 Things Twitter Users Are Asking Elon Musk to Help Them With
Twitter users have been bombarding tech billionaire Elon Musk with suggestions and requests in the event that his effort to buy the company is successful.
SO WHAT
Conservatives who feel abused by current Twitter leadership want a champion.
THE REQUESTS
Following Musk’s $43 billion offer to buy out existing shareholders Wednesday, conservatives and anti-establishment Twitter users have cooked up some ideas of what they’d like the world’s richest man to do with the site.
VERIFICATION: Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy is one of several right-leaning users asking for the coveted blue checkmark, indicating the account really belongs to a notable public figure.
Maybe if @Twitter wasn’t such self righteous doucnebags when I tried to get verified they wouldn’t be in this mess. You can lead a horse to water you can’t force it to drink. https://t.co/I0qoCFqO81
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) April 14, 2022
REINSTATEMENT: Some users petitioned Musk to bring back accounts they feel were unjustly banned, particularly former President Donald Trump and the Babylon Bee satire site.
RT if you support Elon Musk buying Twitter and bringing Trump BACK!
— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) March 25, 2022
PUBLICIZE THE ALGORITHM: Some users have recommended Musk “open-source” Twitter’s feed algorithm, allowing the public to see how content is sorted.
New Twitter CEO Checklist
– Open-source the algorithm
– Eliminate all bots
– Restore free speech
– Implement Coinbase policy on workplace politics
– Fire useless employees (50%?)
– No more company-wide days of rest (take vacation if you’re tired)— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) April 16, 2022
EDIT BUTTON: Twitter has confirmed that a feature for editing tweets is in the works — some users called for Musk to make it generally available.
Elon, we need an edit button.
For Odin’s sake.— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 15, 2022
“OTHER”: Some users took the opportunity to make tongue-in-cheek special requests — for example, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady asking for the removal of his unimpressive 2000 NFL combine photo from the platform.
If you buy twitter can you delete the combine photo? @elonmusk
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) April 14, 2022
Musk has voiced support for some of the requests, including the addition of an edit button and making the algorithm transparent.
STATE OF PLAY
The flood of requests reflects the enthusiasm for Musk’s takeover bid from conservatives, who have long complained Twitter’s administration is biased against them.
- The most high-profile example is the permanent suspension of Trump, whose account was nixed after the January 6 Capitol riot.
- But liberals have expressed fears that Musk, who calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” will turn Twitter into a hive of bigotry and misinformation.
MEANWHILE
On Friday, Twitter’s board adopted a “poison pill” — a scheme that dilutes stock to make it difficult for a single purchaser to acquire a controlling interest in a company — reinforcing questions about whether Musk would be able to follow through on his intention.
- Among other concerns, it is unclear from Musk’s offer whether he has actually secured funding for the acquisition.