Elon Musk actually did it: After some roadblocks, the SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and Boring Company billionaire actually bought Twitter yesterday, for about $44 billion. As the world reacted to the news, so too did Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey.
He first did so by digging into the Radiohead archives and sharing just a link to the band’s Kid A song “Everything In Its Right Place,” using the title to imply he’s on board with Twitter’s new owner. (Notably, the link he shared was from Tidal, presumably because his Block, Inc. (formerly Square, Inc.) owns the streaming platform.)
After sharing the song, Dorsey continued over the course of multiple tweets:
“I love Twitter. Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness.
The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both. Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.
In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.
Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is ‘maximally trusted and broadly inclusive’ is the right one. This is also [Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal’s] goal, and why I chose him. Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation. This is the right path…I believe it with all my heart.
I’m so happy Twitter will continue to serve the public conversation. Around the world, and into the stars!”
Before Dorsey’s reaction, Musk offered a statement of his own, saying, “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential — I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”
🚀💫♥️ Yesss!!! ♥️💫🚀 pic.twitter.com/0T9HzUHuh6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022
Find Dorsey’s tweets below.
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022
I love Twitter. Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness.
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022
The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both. Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022
In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022
Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is “maximally trusted and broadly inclusive” is the right one. This is also @paraga’s goal, and why I chose him. Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation. This is the right path…I believe it with all my heart.
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022
I’m so happy Twitter will continue to serve the public conversation. Around the world, and into the stars!
— jack (@jack) April 26, 2022