The people at Twitter are beside themselves and in need of comfort now that billionaire Elon Musk has purchased the company.
The new owner sent a tweet on Tuesday decrying people who apparently need a safe space from free speech.
“The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all,” he said before explaining what free speech means to him, which sound like what free speech means in the Constitution.
The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022
“By ‘free speech’, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people,” he said.
By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law.
I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.
If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect.
Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022
But those words did not work for some Twitter employees who were distraught at the new ownership.
“Totally understand that this is entertainment for some,” one employee said in a tweet before making her account private. “But please understand that this is certainly not entertainment for me.”
“The news today is so crazy I literally forgot I have COVID,” Twitter engineer Eric Farraro said.
The news today is so crazy I literally forgot I have COVID
— Eric Farraro (@EFarraro) April 25, 2022
After Musk’s bid to purchase Twitter was accepted the company’s top attorney, Vijaya Gadde, held a virtual meeting with the policy and legal to talk about what the new ownership means for them.
The high powered attorney, set to receive a $12.5 million severance package if she is let go, cried about the uncertain future of the company.
Politico reported:
She spoke at length about how she is proud of the work her team has done and offered employees encouragement, urging them to keep striving to do good work at the company.
Gadde, who has worked at Twitter since 2011, is the key executive charged with overseeing Twitter’s trust and safety, legal and public policy functions. She is seen internally as Twitter’s “moral authority” and the executive tasked with handling sensitive issues like harassment and dangerous speech.
Gadde played a leading role in negotiating the deal between Twitter and Musk, according to one person familiar with the dynamics.
Gadde has spoken before about her stance on free speech and the need for it to be limited.
“I’m often inspired by the vigorous debates on controversial issues that occur on Twitter, but I’ve also been seriously troubled by the plight of some of our users who are completely overwhelmed by those who are trying to silence healthy discourse in the name of free expression,” she said in a 2015 op-ed for The Washington Post. “At times, this takes the form of hateful speech in tweets directed at women or minority groups; at others, it takes the form of threats aimed to intimidate those who take a stand on issues.”
