Elon Musk is buying Twitter – Here’s what he wants to turn it into
October 6, 2022
By Kim Komando
Over the past year, Elon Musk and Twitter leaders have circled each other like two lions preparing for a fight. First, he was buying Twitter. Then he wasn’t. It wasn’t easy to keep up with what was actually happening. After a long standoff, the Tesla CEO gave up the legal battle.
Now that the $44 billion deal is on again, you need to know what will happen after Musk buys Twitter. That’s right: This is more than a simple war between tech giants. It affects all of us. In fact, Elon Musk says Twitter fails on free speech.
In March, Musk asked his followers if a new platform should replace Twitter. Now, it looks like he’s made his decision. This week, Elon announced that his Twitter purchase is the first step in a journey to create a new social media app.
Here’s the backstory
It’s been a long and rocky road to get to this point. If you haven’t been following the ups and downs, here’s a quick recap:
- In April, Musk originally signed on to buy Twitter.
- Although shareholders approved the sale, Musk changed his mind and tried to back out through a termination letter.
- Thus, a court battle began. Twitter filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk in July. Then, Musk filed a countersuit.
Before this announcement, Musk was set to go to trial with Twitter. According to the Washington Post, the lawsuit would start during the week of Oct. 17.
But it looks like Musk got cold feet and didn’t want to deal with court proceedings. On Tuesday, he offered the multi-billion payout to Twitter in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Later that same day, he announced big plans for Twitter as a company.
If you don’t know what this means, you’re not alone. “Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” he wrote. But some folks are wondering what the everything app would even be.
After Elon Musk buys Twitter, this is what you can expect
It looks like Musk wants to create an all-in-one app like China’s WeChat. There’s no American equivalent so far. Forbes reports that Musk told Twitter employees he plans to create his own “super app.”
WeChat is a multipurpose platform: Users can order groceries, send messages, book appointments and more. Think of it as a one-stop shop. If Elon Musk’s X app moves forward, this could make our lives more convenient.
You basically live on WeChat in China because it’s so usable and helpful to daily life, and I think if we can achieve that, or even get close to that at Twitter, it would be an immense success.
Elon Musk told CNN.
Of course, this is only the beginning. He says that buying Twitter is just the first step. We don’t know how long he has worked on the X app or how far along his plans are. Privacy advocates may be worried about the data ramifications of such a comprehensive app.
After all, data brokerage is a $2 billion industry. Currently, many apps will sell your personal data to third-party advertisers. Collecting your private information would be even easier if they could consolidate your life in a single app.
This is one topic you should keep your eye on in the future. Not only could the X app make our digital lives easier, but it could also revolutionize the way Big Tech violates your privacy. The timeline of this project is fuzzy.
All we know is that Elon Musk thinks his Twitter purchase will accelerate X’s development by three to five years. We’ll keep you updated as the story continues. In the meantime, check out these essential social media safety tips.
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