Elon Musk returned to the Joe Rogan Experience for a conversation that covered a variety of issues stemming from his involvement with SpaceX to Tesla and Twitter, now referred to as X. During the two plus hour conversation, Musk went into detail on why he chose to spend 44 billion dollars to purchase Twitter, and addressed some of the key challenges the platform dealt with under prior leadership.
When asked by Rogan what ultimately led him to choose to buy the platform, Musk shared that he felt Twitter was doing more harm than good.
“This is going to sound somewhat melodramatic, but I was worried that it was having a corrosive effect on civilization,” revealed Musk. “It was just having a bad, bad impact. Part of that is where it was located, which as you know is downtown San Francisco.”
Musk explained how the the platform’s approach had become influenced by people who shared a different type of philosophy from most of the world. He called San Francisco-Berkley one of the most far left places on earth, and though he viewed San Francisco as a beautiful city, the area surrounding the company had become a zombie apocalypse.
He shared that Twitter’s prior regime was essentially given an information technology weapon which was used to inject a mind virus into the rest of the world. He added that the public was not aware of how much control the government had gained over the platform labeling it a state publication. Musk added that Republicans and views to the right and middle of the road had become censored by a 10 to 1 margin.
A large part of the discussion then turned towards the importance of free speech. Musk explained why it’s vital to protect the first amendment and shared that there had been severe violations by multiple government agencies which warranted repercussions.
Rogan asked Musk if he felt all media groups were working closely with the government, which Musk said yes, adding that X is the only social media platform not beholden to them. When Rogan asked Elon if he felt that extended to TV and print outlets, Musk raised an interesting question.
“It is weird to the degree with which the media is in lockstep”, Musk pointed out. “Why doesn’t the media question the government? They used to. Why don’t they do that anymore? Something doesn’t add up.”
Musk was asked how he manages to juggle overseeing three important, complex companies that require full focus and skill. He acknowledged that it’s a lot for a human brain to handle, which led to Rogan following up by asking what he felt Twitter was actually worth when he bought it. Musk responded with an answer which has since made the rounds across social media.
“Everything,” said Musk.
After Rogan applauded him for taking the risk and stepping up to make a difference for society, Musk explained that he felt many were being ostracized and shut down, and he felt it was critical for a social media platform to exist that didn’t cancel people. After Rogan remarked how hard it is to build a new platform, highlighting the quick rise and disappearance of Threads, Musk added “Zuck himself doesn’t post. You’ve got to use your own product.”
The rest of the conversation included Musk’s views on George Soros, Covid, the past and future of Mars, and much more. To hear the full conversation click here.
