To put it politely, Elon Musk’s tenure at Twitter has been controversial. Elon Musk is now arguing with US Senator. Verified fake accounts are in chaos. Numerous advertisers have left. So far, the company has lost close to half of its workforce. People from top management quota from the office have been removed. The people who were fired from the firm included CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO.
Despite this, Musk continues to tweet while making jokes about the circumstance in his replies to supporters and right-wing influencers.
Musk, though, went a step further on Sunday and used Twitter to make fun of a sitting U.S. senator.
US Senator Tweeted questioning Elon
On Friday, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) tweeted Elon Musk, asking him to clarify what his business intends to do about all the fake accounts on Twitter. Twitter has been flooded with accounts imitating well-known brands and people ever since Musk’s $8 Twitter Blue subscription made it possible for any paying users to become verified. Due to the problem, some businesses have already departed the platform.
Sen. Markey asked for the data. Soon after, a writer for the Washington Post was able to impersonate him and create a falsely verified account.
“A @washingtonpost reporter was able to create a verified account impersonating me—I’m asking for answers from @elonmusk who is putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation,” Sen. Markey wrote. “Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again.”
A @washingtonpost reporter was able to create a verified account impersonating me—I’m asking for answers from @elonmusk who is putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation. Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again. pic.twitter.com/R4r7p6mduP
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) November 11, 2022
“Safeguards such as Twitter’s blue checkmark once allowed users to be smart, critical consumers of news and information in Twitter’s global town square,” the senator expressed in the letter. “But your Twitter takeover, rapid and haphazard imposition of platform changes, removal of safeguards against disinformation, and firing of large numbers of Twitter employees have accelerated Twitter’s descent into the Wild West of social media.”
Musk mocks US Senator
Musk replied Sunday morning: “Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?”
Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2022
Musk responded, referring to Sen. Markey’s disposable surgical mask in his Twitter avatar, “And why does your pp [profile pic] have a mask!?
And why does your pp have a mask!?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2022
Musk pointed out right away that it might not be best for him to quarrel with a sitting U.S. Senator who serves on the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Sen. Markey is a member of three subcommittees that could potentially provide regulatory oversight over Musk’s numerous businesses, including Twitter, Tesla, and SpaceX: the Subcommittee on Communication, Media, and Broadband; the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security; and the Subcommittee on Space and Science.