How did Jeff Bezos react to Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover?
Elon Musk's $44 billion buyout of Twitter has the world talking, with fellow tycoons such as Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and the second-richest man in the world right after Musk, offering his two cents as well.
In a tweet made after the official announcement of Musk's takeover, Bezos asked whether the Chinese government now has some leverage over the social media platform.
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To note, Tesla, Musk's main company, made significant revenue in the Chinese market last year, with Chinese battery makers being major suppliers for the electric vehicles Tesla has become famous for. After China had banned social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in 2009, there was little to no influence of the Chinese government on Twitter.
Bezos hinted that the situation might now change, owing to how deeply connected Musk is with the Chinese market.
However, in a follow-up response, Bezos added that because "Musk is extremely good at navigating this kind of complexity", he will most probably be able to avoid political agendas from taking over Twitter.
What might happen in the future?
Bezos' take on the Chinese government's influence on Twitter has left experts wondering whether Musk's takeover means difficulty for Tesla in the Chinese market.
Since Twitter remains banned in China, the CEO of Tesla taking over a banned platform might not be favourable to the Chinese suppliers that Tesla is so dependent on, hinted Bezos.
Musk and free speech
Musk has always been a big advocate of free speech in the platform, even before he bought shares or the company itself. In tweets made right after his takeover, Musk stated that free speech is the bedrock of democracy.
"I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means," said Musk.
How this free speech movement is implemented on Twitter remains to be seen.
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