Bill Gates, the creator of Microsoft, has finally expressed his thoughts on Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. Gates said he’s unclear how Musk would affect the microblogging platform if he takes control of it, speaking on the sidelines of The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Summit earlier this week. He also raised expressing worries about the propagation of disinformation on the network.
Why does Bill Gates have doubts?
Gates said on the occasion that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had a ‘mind-blowing’ track record at previous firms. He also stated that Musk had done an excellent job assembling a team of engineers at those firms, mainly comprising Tesla and SpaceX. He is dubious, though, if he will be able to repeat the feat.
“I sort of doubt it will happen this time,” the Microsoft founder remarked at the event. “But we should have an open mind and never underestimate Elon.”
In the same interview, Mr. Gates questioned Mr. Musk’s objectives with the microblogging website. Elon Musk has previously stated that his purchase of Twitter is primarily motivated by a desire to restore the app as a free exchange of ideas. He has repeatedly declared that he wants to move away from “censorship” and support free expression instead. Mr Musk has criticised even Twitter’s moderation procedures.
Mr. Gates questioned whether Mr. Musk’s efforts to encourage free expression are reasonable. He highlighted that during the COVID-19 outbreak, he was frequently the target of disinformation and that not all misinformation is spread via social media. According to the Microsoft co-founder, Mr Musk should not be allowed to say anything he wants.
Mr. Gates asked the SpaceX and Tesla CEOs to reconsider his plans for Twitter to focus on freedom of speech. He feels that individuals who own social media platforms have a duty to ensure that the truth is successfully conveyed.
“How does he feel about a tweet that says ‘vaccines kill people’ or ‘Bill Gates is tracking people?'” he continued.
It’s worth noting that Gates’ comment came only days after Musk accused Gates of short-selling Tesla stock. Short selling a company’s stock indicates that investors expect the stock price to decrease. “I heard from multiple people at TED that Gates was still short a half-billion dollars against Tesla, which is why I asked him,” Musk wrote in a tweet. He shared a tweet making fun of the Microsoft founder in a tweet.
Elon Musk announced last month that he was buying Twitter for $54.20 per share, valuing the company at around $44 billion. Musk was previously expected to contribute $21 billion in cash to the deal. He was also expected to take out a loan secured by his Tesla stock. However, he has already secured $7.1 billion from investors interested in participating in the project. Lawrence J. Ellison Revocable Trust, Binance, and Sequoia Capital Fund are among the companies on the list.
Published By – Supreeti Ghosh
