Elon Musk made a proposal to acquire Twitter – which made many blue-check liberals suffer complete meltdowns. Liberals shrieked that the potential purchase would end democracy and start World War III. Some leftists compared Musk’s actions with the rise of Adolf Hitler and comic book supervillains.
Musk – who is already the largest shareholder of the social media platform – announced on Thursday that he made an offer to purchase Twitter for nearly $42 billion.
There was a flood of Twitter reactions from liberals freaking out that Musk could own the platform.
- Washington Post columnist Max Boot: “I am frightened by the impact on society and politics if Elon Musk acquires Twitter. He seems to believe that on social media anything goes. For democracy to survive, we need more content moderation, not less.”
- Journalist Jeff Jarvis: “Today on Twitter feels like the last evening in a Berlin nightclub at the twilight of Weimar Germany.”
- Political commentator Robert Reich: “I hate to break it to the so-called defenders of capitalism out there, but oligarchy isn’t good for markets or freedom. It’s one step removed from feudalism. We are watching a hostile takeover of Twitter by the richest man in the world who regularly tries to silence critics. This is what oligarchy looks like.”
- Journalist Anand Giridharadas: “Elon Musk is why to abolish billionaires. Asking them to chip in their fair share isn’t enough. Regulating them isn’t enough. When people are allowed to acquire this much concentrated influence, they will inevitably manspread economic power into every other form of power.”
- Correspondent Elie Mystal: “I’m not *really* worried about the racist white man buying this dumb platform because all the racist white man wants to do with it is make it easier for his friends to be racist. Which, like, they already are, all the time. And I make fun of them and they block me so whatever. Besides, if they make it too bad Black people will just leave to some other platform owned by white people who have access to venture capital. And we will make the culture there. And whites will follow us because racists are boring an unimaginative.”
- CEO Christopher Bouzy: “This game Elon Musk is playing with Twitter is dangerous. Twitter isn’t just another social media platform, and Elon clearly recognizes that.”
- Political analyst Jared Yates Sexton: “I don’t know. Maybe a society where billionaires have enough money lying around to start space programs and control communication while people starve and ration their medicine isn’t the best system.”
- Journalist Sarah Stierch: “Please no Elon Musk buying Twitter. Please no.”
- Writer Dave Pell: “Elon Musk is Donald Trump with money. If he owns Twitter, I’m out.”
- Writer Matthew Rozsa: “If Elon Musk allows Trump back on Twitter, it will be a death blow to the free world. Trump’s Big Lie will spread like a virus. I discussed the danger of Trump’s Big Lie for @Salon. Like Hitler’s Big Lie, it must not be normalized, lest fascism return.”
- Technology analyst Lauren Weinstein: “Elon Musk makes $41.4 billion cash offer to buy Twitter, presumably to turn it into a hate speech and disinformation playground in line with his sensibilities. Oh, and to get Trump elected president again. If Elon succeeds, a mass exodus from Twitter is appropriate.”
- Educator Morten Rand-Hendriksen: “Here we go: Elon Musk targets Twitter with $41 billion cash takeover offer. This could mean the end of content moderation and the platform descending into disinformation and far-right extremism.”
- Journalist David Leavitt: “If Elon Musk successfully purchases Twitter, it could result in World War 3 and the destruction of our planet.”
- Activist Bree Newsome: “Y’all we knew Twitter wasn’t gonna last lol.”
- Political activist Pam Keith: “I love you all, but I am 100% OUT if Musk takes over Twitter.”
- Social justice activist Whitney Dawn Carlson: “F*** you, @elonmusk.”
- The USA Singers: “Twitter should tell Elon Musk to go f*** himself, then delete his account. That’s how you deal with an out of control narcissistic bully.”
- Tech writer Michael Crider: “Oh f*** right off Elon. There are cheaper ways to stroke your ego, pay for another cartoon guest spot or something.”
- Attorney Walter Shaub: “Elon Musk making a play for Twitter out of his petty cash drawer is one more example of why the pooling of so much wealth in the hands of a few is a societal disease.”
- Columnist David Rothkopf: “We are the assets of @Twitter. If we walk out the door the moment @ElonMusk takes it over, it is nothing. And, I can tell you, I for one, have no desire to participate in the social engineering experiment of that particular out-of-control megalomaniac.”
- Researcher Ahmed Ali: “Elon Musk launching a hostile takeover bid for Twitter is giving Lex Luthor buying the Daily Planet vibes.”
- Axios: “The world’s richest man — someone who used to be compared to Marvel’s Iron Man — is increasingly behaving like a movie supervillain, commanding seemingly unlimited resources with which to finance his mischief-making.”
- The Washington Post: “Musk’s appointment board to Twitter’s board shows that we need regulation of social-media platforms to prevent rich people from controlling our channels of communication. For starters, we need consistent definitions of harassment and of content that violates personal privacy.”
- Ezra Levant pointed out that wealthy individuals own some of the most influential media outlets: “I‘m excited to hear objections to Elon Musk buying Twitter from: @nytimes (owned by Carlos Slim, Mexico’s richest man) @washingtonpost (owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos) @TheAtlantic (owned by Steve Jobs’ widow) @globeandmail (owned by Canada’s richest man) Etc.”
The Kings College professor and Acton Institute Research Fellow Dr. Anthony Bradley shared a graphic of rich people buying media outlets.
As hyperbolic as the Twitter reactions were, billionaire Mark Cuban cautioned it could possibly get worse for left-leaning individuals if Musk teamed up with Republican venture capitalist Peter Thiel. Cuban tweeted, “Want to see the whole world lose their sh*t? Get Peter Thiel to partner with Elon and raise the bid for Twitter.”
There were people who supported Musk in his quest to purchase Twitter.
Liberal commentator Jimmy Dore mocked, “‘I’m leaving Twitter cuz I’m scared that if Elon Musk buys Twitter he will protect free speech rights of people I don’t like & won’t censor enough, censorship is what everyone wants….I mean, it’s what every tweet that I’m allowed to see wants.'”
Congressional candidate Dr. Willie J. Montague tweeted, “A man willing to spend $41,000,000,000 for free speech is a good man that I can admire.”
Author Frank Fleming joked, “Elon Musk has also offered to buy CNN+ for twenty-eight bucks.”