The richest man in the world buys the most politically influential online platform.
So far, little is known about what Elon Musk intends to do after acquiring Twitter.
But the constellation of this almost 47 billion dollar deal alone arouses the worst fears in some observers of the gateway for pornography and gambling to the destabilization of the democratic system.
Even if the eccentric entrepreneur is always good for surprises, the doomsday scenarios seem clearly exaggerated at the moment.
Because even if Musk claims that he's not interested in making money, the takeover is first and foremost a business decision.
The platform may have gained huge importance for public discussion at the latest since the presidency of Donald Trump, who has since been banned from Twitter. From an economic point of view, it is a dwarf.
The number of users for Facebook's parent company, for example, is more than ten times as large, and the differences in terms of market capitalization and profitability are huge.
Musk must quickly find a way to finally capitalize on the content weight of the Twitter community.
In view of the enormous debt service, the financing of the takeover is no small matter for the electric car pioneer either.
striving for freedom of speech
The risks should not be underestimated.
On the plus side there is a global debate elite, whose most prominent representative is Musk himself.
Caught in the web of global regulation, his quest for more freedom of expression could quickly reach its limits.
And commercial change is a tricky business in a volatile web community.
If they are too penetrating, the little birds may soon be chirping at a competitor's site.
Remember all the warnings that Whatsapp would be inundated with ads after it was taken over by Facebook.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has so far been smart enough to resist such temptations.
One thing is clear: Musk needs a good plan.
Therein lies a great opportunity for Twitter.