For being a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” Elon Musk sure seems hellbent on banning anyone who disagrees with him on the social media platform he owns and controls, a.k.a. X (Twitter).
Ever since tech billionaire Elon Musk purchased Twitter for a whopping $43 billion back in 2022, it’s been a quick downward spiral for the once-mighty social service. Not only has Musk changed the app’s iconic name and bird branding to X, a cruel, brutalist mockery made to make it sound more elusive and high tech, but he’s also completely ruined the very essence of what made Twitter so great in the first place.
You see, when Musk initially acquired Twitter and launched X Crop, he did so with the intention to “ensure freedom of speech,” supposedly. But like most things in Musk’s orbit, that promise never really came to fruition, as this first-class hypocrite has now been caught on numerous occasions blocking anyone who dares to criticize him. It’s giving…chronically online.
Unfortunately for literally everyone with a functioning wifi connection, Musk’s name seems to be plastered all over the headlines these days. Some of his more recent scandals involve his new White House gig as co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), courtesy of his BFF Donald Trump, as well as a surprise reconciliation with his fellow morally bankrupt business mogul, Jeff Bezos.
But perhaps most hilarious of all is the fact that he recently earned the ire of Path of Exile 2 players for allegedly paying to have his account “boosted” after more experienced gamers noticed that his skills were lacking in virtually every department during a Jan. 7. livestream. Others speculated that someone had been playing for Musk behind the scenes, as attaining the levels of some of his characters (ranked within the top 100) takes months, if not years of gameplay—something Musk absolutely wouldn’t have the time for, as he’s been working full-time as Trump’s bootlicker. And if there’s one thing Musk hates, it’s being called out for his BS.
Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt, a popular video game streamer, subsequently challenged Musk’s claims that he’s a Path of Exile 2 pro, leading Musk to not only leak a series of heated DMs on X, but also remove Asmongold’s blue check mark and “soft block” his account. This is just one example of the near-constant sludge of hypocrisy that’s surrounded Musk’s handling of X, leading users to deem him a “weak, fragile person” for being wholly unable to accept criticism.
Let me make one thing clear—while it may seem insignificant that Musk is going on an X blocking spree, incidents like these speak to a bigger truth: it’s not about “free speech.” It’s about control. Tech CEOs and ultra-wealthy elitists like Musk do things like purchase Twitter to grab hold of the narrative; after all, Trump’s re-election has been largely accredited to his relationships with podcasters and internet figures, with X being a particularly shameless source of misinformation. His insecurity and greed are covered up by this obvious superiority complex that leads him to think he’s always in the right, and when one of his skeptics dares to make a good point, poof! they’re gone. Now, it’s only a matter of time before Musk stars banning users from the app entirely.
