How Elon Musk is using Twitter to save FREEDOM



Ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson has plans to broadcast his show on Twitter, and Glenn Beck believes Carlson’s move is a great one — especially considering that Elon Musk has taken over the platform.

“What Elon Musk is doing is reasonable and American,” Glenn says. “He is trying to turn it into an actual town square.”

Glenn believes the ability to openly discuss differing ideas and opinions is paramount if we want to save America.

But Big Tech companies are making that incredibly hard.

“Right now, people like me and Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson are being throttled by social media platforms like Facebook and Youtube. We actually have teams of people — you can’t believe the amount of time and money and energy it takes to strategize every single day on how not to get censored for sharing what we believe to be true,” he explains.

He adds, “The Germans found out that’s very effective; to shut down people who want to say things that you as the government don’t want people to hear.”

Glenn says that it’s important that those who do believe in free speech stick together and continue to fight.

“I see us all as a team — myself, BlazeTV, the Daily Wire, Twitter — and I am thrilled to partner with anyone who believes in the First Amendment,” he says.

But they don’t need to agree on everything, Glenn explains.

“I doubt Elon Musk and I agree on an awful lot, but we don’t need to agree. We only need to agree that freedom of speech is paramount for a free society. And anyone who is against censorship, all censorship, I stand with you.”


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Elon Musk finally responds to Jordan Peterson's Twitter ban — and it's PERFECTION



On “The Rubin Report,” BlazeTV host Dave Rubin talked about his own suspension from Twitter after he posted a comment about Dr. Jordan Peterson's Twitter suspension and what the social media platform's potential future owner, billionaire Elon Musk, had to say about this latest attack on free speech.

Peterson faces a permanent ban on Twitter for a tweet using the pronoun "her" and "deadnaming" transgender actor Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page. Rubin was subsequently suspended for posting a screenshot of Peterson's tweet.

"While it is unclear how I broke their terms of service, it is clear that they are breaking their fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders by letting a bunch of Woke activists run the company. I hope Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter goes through so he can blow up their servers and humanity can move past this pervasive, twisted, self-imposed mental institution," Rubin wrote in an Instagram post.

Several people including Peterson's daughter, Mikhaila, called on Musk to weigh in:

\u201cWow. @jordanbpeterson got a twitter strike. No more twitter until he deletes the tweet. Definitely not a free speech platform at the moment @elonmusk\u201d
— Mikhaila Peterson (@Mikhaila Peterson) 1656463707

Musk first responded with his trademark caustic wit:

\u201chttps://t.co/sUrsfucQ2F\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1656965457

Prompted by another tweet, Musk later responded in a more serious tone, “Yeah, they’re going way too far in squashing dissenting opinions."

\u201c@itsALLrisky Yeah, they\u2019re going way too far in squashing dissenting opinions\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1656965457

Watch the video clip below to get Dave Rubin's take on Peterson’s Twitter ban and Elon Musk’s response. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.


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Elon Musk says Twitter deal 'cannot move forward' until platform discloses how many users are really just bots



Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Tuesday that his deal to purchase Twitter Inc. "cannot move forward" until the company comes clean about how many of its hundreds of millions of active users are, in fact, spam bots.

The development is the latest escalation in an ongoing feud between Musk and Twitter executives, who last month agreed to let the Tesla founder buy the social platform outright for approximately $44 billion after much haranguing.

Since then, however, Musk has placed the deal "on hold" as he seeks more information from the company regarding its true user base.

The presence of spam accounts on Twitter is widely considered a major problem. But in recent weeks, Twitter has maintained that fake or spam accounts represent fewer than 5% of its total number of users. However, many observers, including Musk, remain highly skeptical of that determination — especially since the company itself noted the figure was essentially a loose estimate.

"In making this determination, we applied significant judgment, so our estimation of false or spam accounts may not accurately represent the actual number of such accounts, and the actual number of false or spam accounts could be higher than we have estimated," the company said in an April 28 quarterly report.

In a tweet Tuesday, Musk claimed without citing a source that at least 20% of Twitter's users are fake before suggesting that the figure could even be much higher than that. Then he dropped the hammer by declaring his acquisition pulled until further clarity on the matter is achieved.

20% fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be *much* higher.\n\nMy offer was based on Twitter\u2019s SEC filings being accurate.\n\nYesterday, Twitter\u2019s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%.\n\nThis deal cannot move forward until he does.
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1652772739

"My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate," Musk said, adding, "Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%."

"This deal cannot move forward until he does," he concluded.

Musk's allegation was bolstered by a recent study assessing that 49.3% of followers on President Biden's official @POTUS Twitter account are "fake followers." The study, put on using an audit tool from software company SparkToro, analyzed Biden's followers' accounts based on a number of factors, including location issues and default profile images, according to Newsweek.

MarketWatch reported this week that many market analysts think Musk is using the spam bot discrepancy to negotiate a lower price for the deal or back out entirely. But in response, Twitter has reiterated its intent to complete the deal under its original conditions.

Musk has pressed the issue before, though.

In April, he declared, "If our Twitter bid succeeds, we will defeat the spam bots or die trying!"

Then in May, he added, "There is so much potential with Twitter to be the most trusted & broadly inclusive forum in the world! That is why we must clear out bots, spam & scams. Is something actually public opinion or just someone operating 100k fake accounts? Right now, you can’t tell."

Elon Musk finds out half of Biden’s Twitter followers may be fake — his response is CLASSIC



Almost half of President Joe Biden's 22.2 million followers on Twitter are fake, according to a recent audit, and Elon Musk — who has put his deal to purchase Twitter on hold over the number of spam accounts on the platform — isn't surprised.

Newsweek reported Tuesday that a SparkToro audit tool found that 49.3% of followers on Biden's official @POTUS account are “fake followers based on analysis of a number of factors, including location issues, default profile images and new users."

The number of spam and fake accounts on Twitter prompted Musk to put his deal to purchase Twitter on hold last week. The billionaire Tesla CEO discussed the future of Twitter with Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg on an episode of the "All-In" podcast.


Musk got into a debate with Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal on Monday over the alleged number of spam accounts on the platform, with Agrawal insisting that bots compose only about 5% of active accounts.

20% fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be *much* higher.\n\nMy offer was based on Twitter\u2019s SEC filings being accurate.\n\nYesterday, Twitter\u2019s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%.\n\nThis deal cannot move forward until he does.
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1652772739

Musk reacted to Newsweek's claim that half of the president's Twitter followers are fake by tweeting: "So … [checks calculator] … that would be like 10 times more than 5%".

So \u2026 [checks calculator] \u2026 that would be like 10 times more than 5%
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1652860710
Or 14 times higher than Twitter\u2019s 5% in my case
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1652860805

On BlazeTV's "News and Why it Matters," host Sara Gonzales was joined by Sydney Watson and Alex Stein to talk about why Musk's Twitter buyout has been put on hold and whether he still intends to proceed with the takeover.

Watch a video clip below or find full episodes of "News and Why it Matters" here. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.

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Elon Musk sounds alarm on left-wing groups trying 'to control your access to information'; floats charging businesses, gov'ts to use Twitter



Tech billionaire Elon Musk continued on his warpath against the far left on Tuesday by sounding the alarm over a contingent of progressive groups urging major advertisers to cut their funding of Twitter if the social platform doesn't comply with content moderation policies under new leadership.

What are the details?

Musk, who recently agreed to purchase Twitter outright for $44 billion, asked in a tweet, "Who funds these organizations that want to control your access to information?" adding, "Let’s investigate …"

In a follow-up tweet, the Tesla founder and free speech advocate said, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

Sunlight is the best disinfectant
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1651606533

Musk's tweets came in response to a letter signed by more than two dozen left-wing groups — including Media Matters for America, the Black Lives Matter Global Organization, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the Women's March — that called on major brands to essentially strong-arm Twitter into adopting "anti-disinformation" policies.

"As top advertisers on Twitter (TWTR), your brand risks association with a platform amplifying hate, extremism, health misinformation, and conspiracy theorists," the groups wrote in the letter.

"Under Musk’s management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time where trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low," it continued, adding, "Your ad dollars can either fund Musk's vanity project or hold him to account."

According to CNN, big brands such as Coca-Cola, Disney, Kraft, Apple, and Best Buy were targeted in the letter.

The left has been in an exasperated public freakout ever since Musk first raised the possibility of buying Twitter last month, expressing deep-seated fears that the acquisition would lead to the speedy downfall of Western society. It appears many are really just upset that the left will no longer be able to censor speech it doesn't like on the platform.

What else?

But Musk wasn't finished yet. He went on to ruffle more feathers by suggesting further changes to the platform.

In another set of tweets Tuesday, he floated charging governments and businesses to use Twitter in a bid to make the company more profitable like its other competitors in the social media space, while still keeping the service free for most of the population.

"Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users," he tweeted Tuesday. "Ultimately, the downfall of the Freemasons was giving away their stonecutting services for nothing."

Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1651619977

Psaki responds to Elon Musk buying Twitter by floating 'reforms' to combat 'misinformation'



White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded to Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter on Monday by reiterating President Biden's continued support for "fundamental reforms" aimed at combating the spread of "misinformation" on social media platforms.

The remarks appeared to foreshadow a potential future fight between the Biden administration and Twitter over content censorship practices.

Musk — a tech billionaire and free speech advocate — finalized a buyout of the platform on Monday following weeks of negotiations. He immediately emphasized that his goal in purchasing the company is to return it to free speech principles and end the blatant ideological censorship that has become prevalent on the platform.

Though Psaki refused to respond specifically to Musk's acquisition of Twitter, her overarching comments made the administration's feelings clear; that is, officials are not at all happy at the notion that Twitter will be run in an unbiased way.

"What I can tell you as a general matter, no matter who owns or runs Twitter, the president has long been concerned about the power of large social media platforms, what they ... the power they have over our everyday lives, has long argued that tech platforms must be held accountable for the harms they cause," Psaki said during Monday's press briefing.

"He has been a strong supporter of fundamental reforms to achieve that goal, including reforms to Section 230, enacting antitrust reforms, requiring more transparency, and more, and he’s encouraged that there’s bipartisan interest in Congress," she continued. "In terms of what hypothetical policies might happen, I’m just not going to speak to that at this point in time."

.@PressSec on @elonmusk purchasing @twitter: "The president has long been concerned about the power of large social media platforms, the power they have over our everyday lives, has long argued that tech platforms must be held accountable for the harms they cause."pic.twitter.com/uWRizqqET4
— CSPAN (@CSPAN) 1650915297

Later, when pressed again on the White House's reaction to the acquisition, Psaki lent credence to concerns that "misinformation" will now run rampant on the platform and once again expressed that President Biden is open to making changes.

"I would say that our concerns are not new," Psaki said. "We’ve long talked about, and the president has long talked about, his concerns about the power of social platforms — including Twitter and others — to spread misinformation, disinformation, the need for these platforms be held accountable."

Psaki on Musk buying Twitter: "[O]ur concerns are not new. We've long talked about and the President has long talked about his concerns about the power of social platforms, including Twitter...to spread misinformation, disinformation, the need for [them] to be held accountable."pic.twitter.com/clfzPEWcWA
— Curtis Houck (@Curtis Houck) 1650916343

News of Musk's purchase of Twitter caused a widespread meltdown among liberals in the U.S., many of whom vowed to leave the platform as a result.

Twitter employees, too, went "absolutely insane" over the news, according to a report, as internal channels ran amok with outrage and panic.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up ... I [really] don’t wanna work for a company that is owned by Elon Musk," one Twitter employee reportedly told a New York Times reporter.

In a statement after his purchase, Musk said, "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated."

"I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans," he added. "Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it."

Yesss!!! pic.twitter.com/0T9HzUHuh6
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1650915802

Elon Musk says he has secured the financing to buy Twitter, is now mulling tender offer



Tech billionaire and free speech advocate Elon Musk has reportedly secured the necessary financing to purchase Twitter, according to a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

In the updated filing published Thursday, Musk announced that he has received commitments for $46.5 billion to help finance the potential deal, primarily through a group of banks led by Morgan Stanley that have committed $25.5 billion in debt financing.

Other participating firms include Bank of America, Barclays, MUFG, Societe Generale, Mizuho Bank and BNP Paribas. To fill out the remaining cost, Musk has committed approximately $21 billion in equity financing.

With the filing, the Tesla CEO and founder signaled that he is continuing to explore a so-called tender offer to counteract the Twitter board's adoption of a limited-duration shareholder rights plan, commonly known as a "poison pill," though the world's richest man has not yet decided whether he will issue the tender offer.

However, the financing itself does not mean that Musk will be able to finalize a tender offer to purchase Twitter, given Twitter's poison pill defense, which likely necessitates a negotiation between Musk and the company's board, CNBC's David Faber warned.

Twitter's poison pill adoption — which allows shareholders to purchase additional shares at a discount in the event of a takeover attempt, thus diluting the buyer's overall stake — is aimed at preventing Musk from purchasing Twitter outright.

Musk, who garnered international headlines earlier this month when he purchased enough shares to become Twitter's largest individual shareholder, went on to make a total buyout offer for the social platform at a price of $43 billion.

Musk had become increasingly critical of the platform's censorship practices, and many perceived his stock purchases as a way to pressure the company toward improvement. He ramped up that pressure considerably when he offered to purchase the entire company.

Thursday's SEC filing is the latest move in a dramatic public squabble over the company's future.

"Twitter has not responded to the Proposal. Given the lack of response by Twitter, [Musk] is exploring whether to commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Common Stock ... at a price of $54.20 per share," the filing states.

Twitter responded to the filing with a statement confirming it has received Musk's proposal.

"As previously announced and communicated to Mr. Musk directly, the Board is committed to conducting a careful, comprehensive and deliberate review to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and all Twitter stockholders," a company spokesperson said, according to CNBC.

In a TED talk in Vancouver, Canada, last week, Musk called Twitter "kind of the de facto town square" and added he believes that as such it is "very important for there to be an inclusive arena for free speech."

Elon Musk appointed to Twitter board, immediately teases edit button, other 'significant improvements'



After abruptly purchasing a 9.2% stake in Twitter Inc. to become the company's largest individual shareholder this week, tech billionaire and noted Twitter critic Elon Musk is now set to join the company's board of directors.

What are the details?

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday, the company announced its intention to appoint the Tesla founder and CEO to serve as a Class II director with a term currently set to expire in 2024 at the company's annual stockholders' meeting.

As a part of the agreement, Musk is prohibited from becoming the owner of more than 14.9% of the company’s common stock.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal also announced Musk's addition to the board in a pair of tweets Tuesday, saying, "Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board."

He\u2019s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term. Welcome Elon!
— Parag Agrawal (@Parag Agrawal) 1649161971

Agrawal seemed to welcome Musk's appointment, noting he is "both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service," adding, "which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term."

What else?

In recent weeks, Musk has become more outspoken in his criticism of the social media platform, known for its blatant censorship of voices that stray from the progressive left-wing dogma.

Last month, he posted a poll on the platform asking users whether they believed it was adhering to the principles of free speech, and users responded with a resounding "no." Later, he suggested that he was putting serious thought into starting a new social media company that would rival Twitter.

Musk's "new platform" suggestion elicited a raft of responses from users, many of whom implored the billionaire to buy Twitter and make it better.

In a tweet response to news of his appointment to the board, Musk teased that "significant improvements" would soon be made to the platform.

Looking forward to working with Parag & Twitter board to make significant improvements to Twitter in coming months!
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1649162374

Hours earlier, just after his nearly $3 billion stock purchase was made public, Musk mused about the addition of an edit button on the platform in another poll.

Agrawal retweeted the post, noting the "consequences of this poll will be important" and asking users to "please vote carefully."

Anything else?

Twitter's stock price soared following news of Musk's 73.5 million-share purchase on Monday, and the sticker price kept ascending on Tuesday after his board appointment was announced.

Prior to his board appointment, analysts hadn't ruled out the notion that Musk could use his staggering wealth to complete a total buyout of the company.

It's possible, and perhaps likely, that Twitter executives warded off such a scenario by agreeing to add Musk to the company's board of directors with a share percentage limit.

(H/T: CNBC)