BackElon Musk is clearly a genius but…: What Twitter co-founder Evan Williams said on $44 bn bid
On free speech, Evan Williams explained, The issue is not as black-and-white for Twitter as some critics make it out to be
Premium“Clearly a genius who thinks on another level," Twitter co-founder Evan Williams commented on Elon Musk but he further stressed that people's opinion about the Tesla boss is quite divided. The comment comes when Musk is prepping for a Twitter takeover in a $44 billion deal. While the deal is celebrated by most, others have raised concerns about what changes in Twitter's moderation rules would mean for vulnerable groups online.
Weighing the bid Williams said in an event hosted by Fortune, “I think what we're also seeing is people project either their hopes and dreams or their worst nightmares,"
“And it's like Elon and Web3 (philosophy based on a decentralised idea of internet) are the same."
Twitter and free speech
From the beginning, Musk has been vocal about his intention to make Twitter a free speech haven. On this, Williams explained, “The issue of free speech, for instance, is not as black-and-white for Twitter as some critics make it out to be." Twitter has increased policing the contents for hate and misinformation, including banning the account of President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Williams expressed it’s been a while since he’s really studied speech on Twitter, but he feels, “it’s pretty free."
“I don’t know what should be censored or moderated on a daily basis," Williams conceded.
Williams, who cofounded Twitter in 2006 and served as its CEO for two years, has had no formal ties to the company since 2019 beyond being a shareholder.
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