Elon Musk envisions Twitter’s transformation into an ‘everything’ app with a ‘full array’ of services
Twitter's owner, Elon Musk, disclosed in a recent interview his ambition to expand Twitter into a versatile platform, offering a spectrum of services including financial and communications services utilities.
Musk shared his vision during a conversation with The Babylon Bee, which was published on Twitter this Wednesday. Among the various factors that had kindled Musk's interest in purchasing Twitter, a significant one was the social media company's previous censorship of The Babylon Bee.
He expressed his belief in the necessity for Twitter to branch out into financial services, underscoring this as a critical component of freedom.
Musk explained that the ability to control financial exchanges and the overall money system could be a potential problem if it becomes a tool for political disagreement. He referred to the trucker strike in Canada, where individuals were practically de-banked for simply participating in a peaceful protest.
“That’s actually an important part of freedom as well,” he said. “If those doing, you know, the money exchange or running the money system, can stop people who disagree with them politically, that’s a huge problem. I mean, so that happened in Canada with the trucker strike, where people were being like, basically, financially ostracized from society for just being a peaceful strike.”
Musk also drew attention to the questionable account suspensions by PayPal, a company he built, that seemed to be politically motivated.
“Money is a form of information. So I think it’s important that we have within the bounds of the law, that we enable freedom of flow of money, which is full of information,” he said.
In his vision for Twitter's evolution, Musk anticipates the platform to integrate an extensive range of financial and encrypted communication services, incorporating features such as voice and video. He suggested a rebranding of the company under the name "X".
The overarching aim, according to Musk, is to fortify the pillars of democracy and contribute to the advancement of humanity.
“In general, the goal here is like, let’s just make sure we take the actions that strengthen the pillars of democracy and further civilization,” he said. “You know, we want to have a future we can look forward to, that we’re excited about the future, not one we’re sad about it. Civilization is more fragile than people realize. If you study the rise and fall of civilizations in history, you know, when they’re at the top, then they would think they’re gonna fall.”
WATCH:
@elonmusk says the free flow of money is an important part of a free society. pic.twitter.com/ZhnWrvdToa
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) May 31, 2023
Ian Miles Cheong
Contributor
Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/stillgray