According to the Associated Press, engaging with critics on social media contradicts Musk’s stance on free speech.
The AP published an Elon Musk critique titled “Elon Musk, an erratic visionary, revels in contradiction.” The article claimed Musk’s takeover of Twitter is evidence that he “thrives on contradiction.”
“Musk boasts that he’s acquiring Twitter to defend freedom of speech. But he has long used the platform to attack perceived foes who dare to disagree with him,” the AP wrote, suggesting that the organization doesn’t understand the principles of free speech.
“He is supremely confident in his own judgment and abilities. But he has openly acknowledged vulnerabilities, disclosing his angst over a breakup in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone and telling a Saturday Night Live audience last year that he was the show’s first host with Asperger’s syndrome.”
“He’s a brilliant visionary, widely admired for reimagining what a car can be, not to mention his ventures in rocket travel, solar energy, computerized brain implants, and constructing a network of underground tunnels. But his apparent joy in trashing the conventions of corporate behavior has alienated analysts, regulators, employees and others unsure what to make of him,” the article continued.
On Twitter, the AP posted the article with the caption “Elon Musk boasts that he’s acquiring Twitter to defend freedom of speech. But he has long used the platform to attack those who disagree with him,” again suggesting that it’s a contradiction.
The post immediately attracted criticism, with many noting that “attacking those who disagree with him” is actually exercising his freedom of speech.
