When Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, congratulated Elon Musk on taking over the company on April 25, it was obviously via the social network. The two figures of the American Tech would have established a friendship since one or two and would share a close ambition for the future of Twitter.
Dunce, Elon Musk DM Jack Dorsey in the middle of a meeting
Elon Musk’s love of Twitter was no secret. The billionaire began to be active on the platform in 2015. He started by relaying the successes of his companies, Tesla and SpaceX mainly, then broadened the spectrum by delivering his thoughts or his trolls to his 90 million current subscribers.
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His love for the social network got him some trouble. He was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the policeman of the American stock market, because of his tweets about Tesla in 2018. This did not prevent him from deleting the press service of the manufacturer in 2020, considering that his account Twitter would be enough, in part, to replace it.
It is also from the year 2020 that a friendly relationship will be born between Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey, still CEO of Twitter. The two men exchange more and more on their favorite platform, to discuss the evolutions to bring to it. Prolonged correspondence once Jack Dorsey kindly pushed out the door by the Board at the end of 2021.
According to information from wall street journal, it is not uncommon to see Elon Musk chatting by private message with his new friend. Together they share the conviction that the management of Twitter would be more efficient if it became a private company, as in its origins.
They see Twitter as a public good, whose potential is wasted by short-term stock market interests. On April 26, one of the first things Dorsey will explain is ” Twitter being a public company has always been my biggest problem and my biggest regret. He adds, “Taking it back from the stock market is already the first positive step “.
He goes on to talk about his image of Twitter, ” as a matter of principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. The network must be a public good at the protocol level. However, Elon is the only solution I trust. I have confidence in its mission to carry further the light of conscience “. An echo of Elon Musk’s own statement, published the day before, ” Twitter is the digital public square where vital issues for the future of humanity are debated “.
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Both men also share elements of the libertarian political vision. Both are champions of absolute freedom of expression. In January 2021, when Donald Trump was banned from Twitter following the events on Capitol Hill, Jack Dorsey was initially against the measure before changing his mind. On the side of Elon Musk this decision upset him a lot.
According to wall street journal, a group dubbed the “PayPal mafia”, close to similar political ideas, reportedly imitated Jack Dorsey in encouraging Elon Musk to take over Twitter. Among them are alumni of the billionaire-founded payments firm, investors Peter Thiel and David Sacks, Steve Jurvetson, former Tesla board member and current SpaceX executive, and Elon’s brother Kimbal Musk. .
This extensive vision of freedom of expression excites the far right, eager to have a blast on both sides of the Atlantic. A worrying prospect.
Elon Musk has for the moment declared that this freedom of expression would be in accordance with national laws. The CEO is also known to follow his instincts without a pre-established plan, where improvisation plays a large role. Jack Dorsey will have the opportunity to judge whether his new friend’s ideas are going in the direction of the Twitter he’s always dreamed of. He, in any case, will receive a nice check for 1 billion dollars at the end of the operation thanks to his shares.