How Elon Musk’s Impulses Transformed Twitter
Kanye West reached out to his friend Elon Musk early this year for a favor: Let me back on Twitter. The social-media platform had suspended West in December for violating its rule against hate speech after he posted an image of a swastika merged with a Star of David. The musician and designer, who goes by the name Ye, has been considering a 2024 presidential run, according to people familiar with his plans, and his campaign advisers wanted him back on.
Previously, Twitter wouldn’t have reinstated anyone’s account without a formal company review. After Musk bought the company, which he recently renamed X Corp., he upended that process, current and former employees said, making many content decisions himself. In July, after Musk consulted with his new chief executive officer, Linda Yaccarino, the company ordered employees to work over a weekend to reinstate West’s account.
The company said West wouldn’t be allowed to make money from his account, and would have to abide by company policies. After Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October, he promised users fairness and transparency. Since then, the platform designed to be the world’s public square is being driven in large part by Musk’s impulses.
He has ordered the reinstatement of controversial users and done favors for friends, according to people familiar with his actions. Often, he has been at odds with other executives. When he felt his own posts weren’t being seen widely enough, he marshaled dozens of company engineers to make his postings some of the platform’s most visible, according to people involved in that effort.
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