JAKARTA - News of Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk taking a board seat on Twitter has some Twitter employees panicking over the future of the social media company's ability to moderate content.
Within hours of this week's shocking revelations that Musk, who has been described as a proponent of "absolute free speech", gained enough stock to become Twitter's largest shareholder, political conservatives began flooding social media with calls for Donald Trump's return on social media.
.@ElonMusk being named to Twitter’s Board of Directors is just the start.
2022 is the year that we take back our country. The tide is turning.
The Left took it way too far and common sense people who love this country are taking back what is ours.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) April 5, 2022
The former US president was banned from Facebook and Twitter after the January 6 riots in the Capitol over concerns around incitement to violence.
“Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter's biggest shareholder, it's time to lift political censorship. Oh… and BRING BACK TRUMP!,” tweeted Republican congressman Lauren Boebert on Monday, April 4.
Despite Twitter's reiteration this week that the board doesn't make policy decisions, four Twitter employees who spoke to Reuters said they were concerned about Musk's ability to influence the company's policies on abusive users and harmful content.
With Musk on board, employees say his views on moderation could undermine years of efforts to make Twitter a place for healthy discourse, and allow mob trolling and attacks to thrive.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2022
After Trump's ban from Facebook and Twitter, the billionaire tweeted that many would not be happy with US tech companies acting "as de facto arbiters of free speech."
Musk hasn't yet articulated what he wants to do as a new board member, but he has sent his intentions through his Twitter activity. A week before Musk revealed his 9.1% stake on Twitter, he polled his 80 million followers on whether the site adheres to free speech principles, and the majority voted 'no'.
The employee, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, pointed to Musk's history of using Twitter to attack critics. In 2018, Musk came under fire for accusing a British diver who had helped rescue children trapped in a cave in Thailand of being a pedophile.
Musk finally won the diver's defamation case in 2019.
When asked for comment, a Twitter spokesperson reiterated that as of Tuesday, April 5, the board "plays an important advisory and feedback role across our services," but that day-to-day operations and decisions are made by Twitter management and employees.
"Twitter is committed to impartiality in the development and enforcement of its policies and rules," the spokesperson said.
Several employees who spoke to Reuters were not so sure about the company's commitment to this.
"I find it hard to believe (the board) has no influence," said one employee. "If that's the case, why would Elon want a board seat?"
But another employee who spoke to Reuters said Musk's involvement could help accelerate the pace of launching new features and products, and provide a new perspective as an active Twitter user. Neither Tesla nor Musk responded to requests for comment.
The Twitter board stands out in discussions on Twitter more than at any other tech company, one employee said. That's because unlike Meta Platforms Inc, where founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg controls the company through a dual-class share structure, Twitter only has one class of stock, making it more vulnerable to activists like Musk. Teams within Twitter often consider how to communicate strategy or decisions to the board, the employee said.
On Thursday, April 7, Musk tweeted an image from 2018 of him smoking marijuana on Joe Rogan's podcast on Spotify, with the caption: "Next Twitter board meeting will be live."
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An employee familiar with the company's operations said there were no current plans to reinstate Trump. A Twitter spokesperson said there were no plans to reverse any policy decisions.
But a veteran auto analyst who has covered Musk's style of operation at Tesla said such a decision may just be a matter of time.
"If Donald Trump is really rich, he wants to do the same but he can't afford it. So Elon did what Trump wanted to do," said Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid.
"I wouldn't be surprised" if Twitter restored Trump's account now, because Elon owns nearly 10% of the company, he said.
In the long term, employees say Musk's involvement could change Twitter's corporate culture, which they say currently values inclusivity. Musk has faced widespread criticism for posting memes mocking transgender people and efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, and for comparing some world leaders to Hitler.
Some employees were surprised by the warm welcome Musk received from Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey, which prompted them to enter the job market this week.
"Some people are cleaning their resumes," said one person. "I don't want to work for someone (like Musk)."
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