The billionaire has so far struggled to balance his proselytizing free speech with his decisions to quash criticism against him on the platform.
When he announced he wanted to buy the company earlier this year, Musk tweeted: “I hope even my worst critics stay on Twitter, because that’s what free speech is all about.” But haphazard decisions by him since he became CEO have scared off advertisers the company desperately needs and driven many users away from the platform.
Most recently, Musk falsely accused the @ElonJet account, which was banned Wednesday, of misleading him by posting his real-time location. He said that night that a car containing his son was followed by a “crazy stalker” who thought he was following Musk. (The Los Angeles Police Department said in a declaration that no police report has been filed on the alleged incident).
“Any account that provides real-time location information of anyone will be suspended, as it is a breach of physical security. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location information,” Musk tweeted.
Then, on Thursday, he leveled the same false doxing accusation against the journalists who covered @ElonJet’s Twitter ban and suspended them. reporters who tweeted the LAPD statement was also suspended.
