NY Times editorial board member predicts Twitter will be a 'scary place,' 'far more toxic' under Elon Musk
'Expect it to get much, much worse,' he wrote
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Times editorial board member Greg Bensinger wrote Monday that Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter will make the social media platform a "scary place."
"Twitter has never been a place for rational, nuanced speech. Expect it to get much, much worse," he wrote. The editorial board member said that Musk's vision of free speech just means "free speech for people like Mr. Musk, a billionaire and the world's richest man."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Elon Musk walks from the justice center in Wilmington, Del., Monday, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The author said that Musk hasn't been a "reasonable caretaker for the companies he already oversees" and noted instances of sexual harassment and racism allegations at Tesla's factory in California, as well as others.
Bensinger said that Twitter's rules are "enforced unevenly" and that the platform is filled with "racist trolling, harassment and misinformation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Twitter’s usual approach to moderating content has been to slap warning labels on tweets, which are easy to ignore and don’t mitigate the damage done by misinformation," he wrote.
The New York Times editorial board member also said that Musk would make Twitter "far more toxic."
This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) ((AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
"Mr. Musk’s reasons for taking control of Twitter aren’t about free speech; it’s about controlling a megaphone," he continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bensinger concluded by asking his readers: "Does that sound like a better place?"
File photo - Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, unveils the company's newest product, Powerwall, in Hawthorne, Calif., Thursday, April. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
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Twitter accepted Musk's offer to buy the social media company on Monday for $44 billion and take it private.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Musk decided to make an offer after first purchasing a 9.2% stake in the social media company and declining a seat on the board of directors. Many media personalities and analysts slammed the idea of Musk owning Twitter prior to the official purchase.
MSNBC political analyst Anand Giridharadas said Musk "lives in a world in which the only kind of free speech is white men feeling free to say whatever the hell they want."
"Many thanks for the knowledge and sharing over the past ten years or so. If Musk takes over Twitter I will be off within a few hours. Might be just as well for my well being but I’ve learned a lot of valuable stuff from many of you. Thank you all," former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said.