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Timothy L. O'Brien

Elon Musk Is Not What Twitter Needs Right Now

If anything, the social media company should have more moderation, not less.

Two thumbs up for free speech? — Two thumbs up for free speech?
Photographer: BRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP

By

Timothy L. O'Brien

April 14, 2022, 5:15 PM UTC

Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter Inc. for $43 billion — but he has only about $3 billion in cash on hand. Most of the fortune of the world’s richest man, which adds up to some $259 billion, is tied up in Tesla Inc. and other nifty things.

So if he’s serious about a takeover — and there is ample reason for skepticism — he’ll have to sell a chunk of his Tesla shares or get a consortium of big buckaroos with social media interests to chip in. Maybe he can enlist the help of Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen and Donald Trump’s political action committee.