- Elon Musk on Monday entered into a $ 44 billion deal to buy Twitter.
- In the hours that followed, Tucker Carlson, Mark Levin, and others returned to the app.
- Jameela Jamil wrote her “last tweet” while other celebrities are also considering leaving.
Elon Musk on Monday entered into a $ 44 billion deal to buy Twitter. News of the new owner has led to a lot of discussion about who will stay on (or return to) the social media app – now set to become a privately owned business by the end of this year.
Tesla’s CEO and billionaire, who has described himself as an “absolute freedom of speech”, calls for policies that may favor leaving most tweets and some extremist accounts on the platform – questioning what Musk’s ownership will mean for previously suspended users .
Former President Donald Trump, who Twitter permanently banned after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, said Monday he would not return to the app, even with Musk as the new owner. Instead, he will formally join his own Truth Social app in the coming days, Trump told Fox News on Monday.
As of Monday, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin have returned to the app.
Twitter takeover:Will freedom of speech mean more hateful remarks on Twitter under Elon Musk?
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Meanwhile, some prominent names shared that they would leave Twitter in light of Musk’s deal – including actress Jameela Jamil. Others, such as activist and author Amy Siskind, said they are also considering leaving the app.
“People need to understand that this is no longer a public company,” Siskind said tweeted on Monday. “Every post you make here is free content to enrich one man, Elon Musk.”
Musk’s acquisition comes nearly five months after founder and CEO Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO and appointed Parag Agrawal as his successor. Both Dorsey and Agrawal have shared endorsements for Musk’s takeover.
“In principle, I do not think anyone should own or operate Twitter. It wants to be a public good at the protocol level, not a company. To solve the problem of being a company, however, Elon is the unique solution I trust I trusts his mission to expand the light of consciousness, “Dorsey tweeted on Monday.
Here is a list of those who are leaving, returning to or criticizing Twitter after the Musk takeover.
Who returns to Twitter?
Tucker Carlson
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson returned to Twitter hours after Musk’s appointment was terminated. Carlson was suspended from Twitter in March after violating the platform’s rules for hateful content. Tweets from Babylon Bee and Charlie Kirk mentioned Assistant Health Minister Dr. Rachel Levine – who is a transgender woman – as a “man”, and in a now deleted tweet, Carlson insisted that both posts were “true”.
As Musk’s deal has not yet been finalized, it is unclear whether Carlson’s suspension ended due to the new owner.
Mark Levin
Mark Levin, host of the syndicated radio program “The Mark Levin Show” and “Life, Liberty & Levin” on Fox News, also returned to Twitter on Monday – for the first time since January 2021.
Levin was not excluded from Twitter, but he suspended his own account in January 2021 “in protest Twitter fascism. “” Thanks to the new ownership I have decided to return! “Levin tweeted on Monday.
Azealia Banks
Twitter has suspended rapper Azealia Banks several times. In 2016, Banks was suspended following reported racist and homophobic tweets addressed to Zayn Malik. She was also suspended in 2020 for a series of transphobic tweets.
After Musk’s Monday acquisition, Banks took to her Instagram stories on Tuesday and wrote: “I * must * actually thank Elon for buying twitter, I actually came back on …..” She also told about her experience of be banned and called Dorsey “racist AF” and writes about “his plan to exploit the first Black Lives Matter movement.”
On Instagram, Banks posted a screenshot of what appeared to be a new Twitter handle early Tuesday that has not yet been verified on the platform.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Twitter permanently suspended rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account in early January for repeated violations of the social media platform’s COVID-19 misinformation policy.
After Musk’s deal was finalized on Monday, Greene used her congressional account, which is still active, to share screenshots of the five tweets marked for misinformation that led to a ban on her personal account. Hun da wrote“My personal freedom of speech was violated on this platform along with an unknown number of Americans and I want my personal account back.”
Since Tuesday, Greene’s personal account has not returned.
Who is leaving Twitter?
Jameela Jamil
“The Good Place” actress, writer and activist Jameela Jamil wrote her “last tweet” on Monday.
“Ah [Musk] got twitter. I want this to be my what lies here, as my last tweet, “Jamil tweeted. “I fear that this bid for freedom of speech will help this hellish platform reach its final form of total lawless hatred, bigotry and misogyny. Good luck.”
See known reactions:Jameela Jamil sends her ‘last tweet’, Ice-T jokes Musk should shut Twitter down
Who has criticized Musk’s acquisition?
Activist Shaun King reportedly deleted his Twitter account the following Monday tweeting“Basically, @ElonMusk, who wants to buy Twitter, is not about left vs. right. It’s about white power … He’s sorry that Twitter will not allow white nationalists to target / harass people. That is his definition of freedom of expression. “
King continued to tweet Tuesday, confirming that he did not delete his account. King has since shared articles detailed racism and civil rights cases at Tesla.
In addition to Siskind, others shared that they were considering leaving the app – including actor and wrestler Mick Foley.
“I will consider leaving @Twitter forever in the near future,” Foley says wrote on Monday. “I do not have a good sense of where this platform is going.”
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Still, some celebrities noticed why they are planning to stay.
“I’m not going anywhere,” tweeted “Star Trek” actor and activist George Takei. “Should this place become more toxic, I promise to strive even harder to lift reason, science, compassion and the rule of law. The fight against fascism, misinformation and hatred requires fierce warriors. I hope you stay in the fight, not true next to Me. “
Many also pointed to the huge price tag on Musk’s acquisition deal – emphasizing that $ 44 billion could have affected the world in a host of other ways.
“Just a thought – next time we have $ 44 billion lying around, can we please spend it on solving the pandemic, climate change, hunger, poverty and malnutrition?” wrote Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, founder of the World Health Network.
“$ 44 billion could help so many people, this greedy world disappoints me,” actress, singer and transgender activist Plastic Martyr wrote.
