The future of Twitter under Elon Musk

Algorithmic transparency. That’s the best thing Elon Musk can do for Twitter. It may also be the only meaningful thing he can do — and never mind those extolling the virtues of the edit button. The Right sees Mr Musk’s play for Twitter as their triumph, but their joy at what they see as the ultimate comeuppance of what was perceived as a citadel of the Left may well be short-lived.

Twitter, despite what one may think, is not a Libertarian free-speech experiment. It is a media company, and accountability comes with that territory. That will involve content moderation and cracking down on bots, even if this is performed by superior algos. It is unlikely that those being moderated will take it quietly. It also remains to be seen how the hands-off approach to moderation that Mr Musk, a free-speech absolutist, wants to adopt for Twitter will fit in with this imperative (and regulatory requirement in many geographies) to be responsible. Finally, while the deal (once it closes) will benefit many private shareholders (and employees), Twitter still has to figure out a business model that can deliver profits. It’s possible that all this is beyond Twitter’s current management, and that Mr Musk could do much better. After all, he currently has the best track record in handling third-generation problems — from autonomous climate-friendly vehicles to the colonisation of space.

But the history of media is replete with people who think they can do better — and then come up short. In Twitter’s case, almost everyone has a view on how to make it better. Mr Musk, though, has bet his money on the expectation that he can. Twitter, a private company with public shareholding, will become a closely held one, which means a powerful media company that can shape opinions (and at some level, decide who gets to be heard) will come under even less scrutiny. That should worry everyone.