Elon Musk hints he might launch his own social media platform
Tesla CEO polls his Twitter followers on whether the app promotes free speech, and asks if a new social media app should replace it.
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Musk asked his Twitter followers if a new platform is needed (Getty)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk polled Twitter on Saturday on whether or not a new social media platform should be launched to rival Twitter.
Musk first began with a poll on Friday on whether or not they believed Twitter rigorously applied to free speech principles, adding that the consequences of the poll will be important, and asking them to "vote carefully".
More than two million people answered the poll, with slightly more than 70% replying that Twitter did not "rigorously" adhere to free speech.
The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2022
Musk followed this Tweet after the poll ended with a thread, asking what should be done, then adding "Is a new platform needed?".
Is a new platform needed?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2022
He also asked all 80 million of his followers on Friday if they believed Twitter's algorithm should be open-source in order to provide more information about how it chooses what to show to users in their feeds. 75% of respondents said it should.
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey responded to Musk's tweets, saying that the "choice of which algorithm to use (or not) should be open to everyone.'
Musk has used polls before that caused ripples in the market, with him apparently having prior ulterior motives in mind. Back in November, Musk polled Twitter users on whether or not he should pledge to sell 10% of his Tesla shares.
Musk tweeted “much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock,” as he polled his more than 62 million Twitter followers, insisting he would do as voters say.
Musk ended the poll after 3.5 million followers voted, disclosing that he is ready to accept either outcome. The interesting part of Musk's poll is the detail he did not mention to followers.
Tesla stocks fell by almost 5% the next day.
Regardless of the poll, Musk may have been required to sell a significant portion of his stock in the near future. He has roughly 23 million stock options, which were granted to him in 2012. Those options have subsequently been vested and their expiration date is August 2022. Most stock awards allow CEOs to avoid paying taxes for years, if not indefinitely if the shares obtained from converting the option are not sold.
