Elon Musk Considers Creating Social Media Platform Focused on ‘Free Speech’

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been giving serious consideration to creating a new social media platform, Reuters reported Sunday (March 27).

Musk had been responding to a question from a Twitter user on whether he’d consider making a social media platform that prioritized free speech, had minimal propaganda and was built with an open source algorithm.

A big Twitter user himself, Musk has been critical of Twitter’s policies in the past, arguing that the company doesn’t adhere to free speech principles.

He also recently ran a Twitter poll asking users if they believe Twitter adheres to the principles of free speech, adding in another tweet that the poll’s  consequences “will be important.” On the poll, 70% voted no.

The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2022

Reuters wrote that if Musk does go ahead and make a new platform, he’d be part of a growing contingent of tech companies positioning themselves as “champions of free speech.” These companies are looking to attract users who feel their views are suppressed on platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

However, none of these companies, including Donald Trump’s Truth Social, video site Rumble and Twitter competitors Gettr and Parler, have been able to compete with the popularity of the original platforms.

Last month, PYMNTS wrote that the Securities and Exchange Commission has been looking into Tesla’s settlement that required Musk’s tweets to be vetted if they contained material information.

See also: SEC Probes Elon Musk’s Tesla Tweets as Possible Violations

The subpoena from the SEC came on Nov. 16, 10 days after Musk asked his Twitter followers if he should sell off 10% of the stake in his company. The development shows the pressures federal auto safety regulators are putting on the company over vehicle recalls and driver assistance software investigations.

Last year, the SEC also opened an investigation into a whistleblower complaint that Tesla didn’t properly notify shareholders of the public of fire risks over solar panel defects.