Elon Musk Tells Advertisers Goal Is to Make Platform a “Common Digital Town Square”

On Thursday morning, Tesla and SpaceX CEO and soon-to-be Twitter owner Elon Musk issued a statement to Twitter advertisers explaining his motivations behind purchasing the social media platform.

“I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation in acquiring Twitter,” Musk began. “There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising.”

“Most of it has been wrong,” he added.

“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” Musk wrote.

“There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.”

Musk continued on to state that “much of traditional media” has “fueled and catered to those polarized extremes” in pursuit of clicks, “as they believe that is what brings in the money,” adding that in doing such, “the opportunity for dialogue is lost.”

“That is why I bought Twitter,” Musk explained.

Musk said his purchase wasn’t because “it would be easy,” or make more money, but rather, “I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love.”

Muck continued on to state that “Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences.”

“In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature.”

In regard to advertising, Musk said, “I also very much believe that advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed, but is right for you.”

Musk stressed that it is “essential” to show Twitter users ads that are “as relevant as possible to their needs,” and that ads that aren’t relevant constitute as “spam.”

“Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise,” Musk said.

“To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together,” he concluded.

Musk’s post comes after he visited Twitter’s California headquarters on Wednesday, carrying a sink and writing on Twitter, “Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in!”

Musk also changed his Twitter bio to say “Chief Twit,” as well as his location, which now lists Twitter’s headquarters.

Musk offered to buy Twitter in April but sought to end the acquisition a few months later over concerns regarding the number of “bot” accounts on the platform, which resulted in a legal battle between him and the company. 

Earlier this month, Musk announced that he would go through with the offer.

The Delaware Court of Chancery has given Musk until Oct. 28 to close the deal, otherwise, the matter will go to trial in November.

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