Twitter, a major American social media company, has agreed to accept an acquisition offer from Elon Musk.


Mr. Musk argues that "protecting freedom of speech" is the purpose of the acquisition, and attention is focused on future reforms such as how to manage the posted content.

Twitter has agreed to accept a takeover offer from American electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world's richest man.



The total acquisition amount is 44 billion dollars, about 5.6 trillion yen in Japanese yen, and Mr. Musk will acquire 100% of his shares and will close the acquisition in the meantime.



In response to this proposal, Twitter once decided to introduce a takeover defense measure, but it seems that it was finally decided to accept it because there was no prospect of a support destination with conditions that exceeded Mr. Musk's proposal.



On the other hand, Mr. Musk has long criticized Twitter, saying that "the principle of freedom of speech is not being followed."



And he has argued that he should make public the criteria for displaying warnings on posts such as hoaxes so that anyone can verify the contents.



In response to this agreement, Mr. Musk commented, "We will introduce new functions and change Twitter better", but depending on the content, there is a trend of tightening regulations in Western countries to prevent the spread of hoaxes etc. There is a possibility of going backwards, and attention is focused on future reforms.

The challenges surrounding Mr. Musk's acquisition

With more than 80 million followers, Musk has often criticized Twitter's operations, calling for the introduction of editing features that allow him to change what he posts and the publication of standards that the company warns against uncertain information.



"Twitter can be the foundation of world's freedom of speech, but it can't fulfill its responsibilities as it is," Musk said in the deal.



Behind this seems to be dissatisfaction with Twitter's policy of tightly controlling the content of posts.



However, there are concerns that the acquisition may lead to an increase in the number of people who are willing to say anything.



There are also criticisms that the world's richest man is trying to make the communication tools of the general public as he wishes.



Mr. Musk has grown the company in the fields of electric vehicles and space development, but now he owns a huge social media that is used by more than 200 million people a day in the world, and he has a huge responsibility. You will be asked.

White House “Social Media Responsibility to Prevent Dissemination of Misinformation”

Regarding the acquisition of Twitter by Mr. Earon Musk, White House spokesman Saki said at a press conference on the 25th that he "will not comment on a specific acquisition", while "President Biden has long been a hoax on social media including Twitter. Concerned about the impact of disseminating false information, he has mentioned the need to hold companies accountable, "he said, reiterating the idea that social media has a responsibility to prevent disseminating false information.

Former President Trump "I'm not using Twitter anymore"

In the United States, attention is being paid to whether former President Trump, whose account has been suspended, will be allowed to resume use after the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk.



FOX News reported on the 25th that Mr. Trump said, "I will not use Twitter anymore."



Mr. Trump has shown his intention to use the new social media launched in February by the companies he is involved with.



Mr. Trump has been suspended from accounts one after another by social media companies including Twitter in response to the invasion incident in the federal parliament last January, saying that "it could cause further violence."