How Elon Broke Twitter — and Twitter Broke Elon — with Ben Mezrich
Nov 2, 2023
01:07:33
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Author Ben Mezrich discusses his book Breaking Twitter, blending facts with speculation, predicting Elon's fate, and brainstorming who should play him in a movie. They explore Elon's changing ideology on free speech, his unraveling on Twitter, and his impact on journalism.
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Quick takeaways
Elon Musk's initial mission to save free speech on Twitter crumbled as he faced personal backlash, leading to aggressive actions and a disregard for free speech.
Elon Musk's ego-driven actions, sense of mistrust, and tendency to resort to aggression ultimately led to the downfall of his reputation.
Elon Musk's tolerance for racist tweets and conspiracies on Twitter showcases his performative move to cater to supporters and highlights the troubling environment on the platform.
Deep dives
Elon Musk's Twitter Purchase and Free Speech Ideology
Elon enters Twitter with a grand mission to save free speech. He believes that Twitter is stifling voices and wants to fix it with an algorithm. However, as soon as he faces personal backlash and negative responses to his tweets, his ideology crumbles. He becomes more competitive and exhibits a childlike anger, which leads to a spiral of aggressive actions. He starts throttling links to news organizations he dislikes, suspends journalists reporting on his suspension, and even threatens to sue the ADL. His initial noble ideals give way to personal vendettas and a disregard for free speech.
Elon Musk's Unraveling and Ego
The final third of the book portrays Elon's unraveling. It starts with a controversial tweet about a conspiracy theory, followed by several incidents that further damage his reputation. He faces internal challenges and struggles with the poll where the majority vote for him to step down as CEO. The scene at a SpaceX launch, where despite a failure and explosion, Elon celebrates while the world focuses on the explosion. The sequence highlights Elon's ego-driven actions, a sense of mistrust, paranoia, and a tendency to resort to aggression when faced with opposition. This behavior ultimately leads to the downfall of his reputation.
Criticism of Elon Musk and the Twitter Effect
Throughout the podcast episode, several instances of Elon's hypocrisy and flawed approach to free speech are discussed. He throttles links to news organizations he dislikes, suspends journalists, and bans substack links. These actions contradict his initial ideology of championing free speech on Twitter and portray a lack of understanding of the complexities surrounding the concept. Additionally, his aggression towards others, such as the attack on Joelle Roth, showcases his need for control and his inability to handle criticism or betrayal. The negative consequences of his actions on his reputation are emphasized, indicating that he is not misunderstood, but rather responsible for the negative perception.
The Future of Elon Musk and Salvaging his Reputation
Despite his current negative reputation, there is a belief that Elon Musk can salvage his image. It is acknowledged that he has made significant contributions with Tesla and SpaceX, pushing the world forward. However, his actions on Twitter have damaged his reputation and caused harm. The hope is that Elon recognizes the problem and makes a decision to step away from Twitter before causing further destruction. With the right steps and a return to focusing on his ventures, there is a possibility for him to rebuild and regain his previous positive standing.
Elon Musk's Tolerance for Racist Tweets
The podcast episode discusses Elon Musk's tolerance for racist tweets and conspiracies on Twitter. While the book largely leaves out his racist tweets, the podcast delves into the issue, highlighting how Elon may not be personally racist but is tolerant of racist views on the platform. It is suggested that his tolerance is a performative move to cater to his supporters and generate engagement. The podcast also acknowledges the troubling environment on Twitter, with the prevalence of anti-Semitic and racist content.
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg: Similarities and Differences
The podcast explores the similarities and differences between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Both billionaires are portrayed as insecure and misunderstood geniuses, but Elon is seen as more authoritarian and willing to bend others to his will. The podcast mentions their rivalry and the mention of 'fuck zuck' by Elon when taking over Twitter. However, the host expresses that Mark is seen as a nicer person overall and highlights his stable personal life, whereas Elon is more volatile and constantly seeks to save the world. The podcast ends with a discussion on possible actors to portray Elon in a series adaptation of a book.
What does a dramatic narrative nonfiction account of a dramatic tech CEO look like? To find out, we turn to Ben Mezrich, the author whose books have been adapted to films like 21,The Social Network, and Dumb Money. His latest, Breaking Twitter, has already been optioned by MGM.
In this conversation: Ben’s process for blending hard facts with informed speculation, Kara’s advice for dealing with the tech titan, and predictions about Linda Yaccarino’s fate. Oh, also a brainstorm about who should play Elon on the big screen: Kara envisions a classic Vince Vaughn type, Nayeema picks Brendan Fraser, and Ben throws in a Succession character — but *not* the one you’d expect!
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza
