Elon Musk has ascended the Twitter throne, and tremors are already being felt. Several companies are taking a pause to watch over the new direction Twitter takes under the control of Elon Musk. Musk is known for his questionable choices, and most are not ready to take a chance. Tesla’s rival, General Motors has already suspended advertising on Twitter for a temporary period following the takeover of the company by Musk. The reason stated for the same is quite valid. They just want to take a moment and see what Twitter under their rival looks like, and then decide if it is worth it. The Detroit automaker will continue to interact with its customers on the platform, however, it will not pay for advertising.
The What and Why
After dramatic ups and downs, Elon Musk has finally taken over Twitter. It is imperative that the platform will undergo some major changes in accordance with Musk’s own ideologies and policies. Given the fact that the platform is in a stage of transition, General Motors in addition to several others is taking a step back to observe and evaluate these changes.
“We are engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under their new ownership. As is the normal course of business with a significant change in the media platform, we have temporarily paused our paid advertising. Our customer care interactions on Twitter will continue,” General Motors said in an emailed statement. The rivalry between Tesla and General Motors is a known story. In fact, the automaker even announced billions of dollars in spending to compete against Tesla, under CEO Mary Batra.
Ford is another Tesla rival that doesn’t advertise on Twitter. The plight was the same even before the Musk takeover. A Ford spokesperson stated that the company will “continue to evaluate the direction of the platform under the new ownership.” Just like General Motors, Ford continues to engage with its customers on Twitter.
The New Direction
Ever since the takeover saga started, the new direction that Twitter will take under Musk has been a fundamental plot device. Musk had even stated that he will restore banned accounts like that of former president Donald Trump, creating quite a tremor on Twitter. While some are quite in agreement with Musk’s ‘free speech absolutist’ ideologies, others are skeptical.
Now it seems like Musk intends to keep the content in check. On Friday, Musk stated that he plans on a “content moderation council,” and chances are it will be exactly like the name states. Musk had also mentioned that he doesn’t intend to make Twitter a “free-for-all hellscape.”
