Ben Collins, the NBC reporter who specializes in right-wing media, doesn't expect Twitter to be a very enjoyable experience under Elon Musk, who seems likely to finalize his takeover within the week:
For those of you asking: Yes, I do think this site can and will change pretty dramatically if Musk gets full control over it.
No, there is no immediate replacement.
If it gets done early enough, based on the people he's aligned with, yes, it could actually affect midterms.— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
If Musk is really taking this site private, there are no real guardrails anymore. Rulemaking can be capricious.
He can elevate any idea or person he wants through recommendations and UX choices and there will be no oversight on this as a private company.— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
We know from Musk's private texts he talks with people who want to let Trump back on and make a "Blake Masters type" a "VP of enforcement."
Masters is a far-right Senate candidate backed by Facebook founder and Trump donor Peter Thiel.https://t.co/oXG93DGKyC— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
We know from Musk's private texts he talks with people who want to let Trump back on and make a "Blake Masters type" a "VP of enforcement."
Masters is a far-right Senate candidate backed by Facebook founder and Trump donor Peter Thiel.https://t.co/oXG93DGKyC— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
In those Musk texts, the redacted senders and recipients lay the groundwork for a "war" and "battle" after Musk takes over Twitter — a "coordinated pressure campaign" that will lead to deplatforming of political enemies. pic.twitter.com/GGnUXc30op
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
What does this look like in the short term?
Abandonment of traditional moderation policies. Stuff like Pizzagate — pushed by bots and liars — will be protected. Disinfo campaigns will top trending topics and drive news cycles.
Authoritarian governments will have a field day.— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
In the longterm, Musk's plans for this website are a suicide bomb.
Very few people want to use a moderation-free app saturated with lies by design. We know this from the dozens of Twitter clones who've tried and failed.
But he seems deadset on taking bad advice from bad people.— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
In conclusion, Elon Musk's Twitter purchase will have to be heavily financed by someone else in order for him to complete it.
In May, according to an SEC filing, Musk's Twitter buy was most heavily subsidized by Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud.https://t.co/No1jArAmbA pic.twitter.com/j4bVpSVO8F— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 4, 2022
Like the last time Musk was bidding on Twitter, users are leaving for other platforms.
