Why did you buy Twitter / X?
“𝕏 is the global town square. No place better to reach the world fast!”
— Elon Musk, 15 October 2026 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Subjects / Twitter Acquisition
Twitter Acquisition
30 answers
Did you buy Twitter because of the data? Did you have all this in your head before you did it?
“I just bought Twitter because I thought it was having a negative effect on civilization…”
— Elon Musk, 14 November 2025 · Watch: Ron Baron and Elon Musk Discuss the Future · 19:22 ↗ · In the archive
Why did you buy Twitter / X?
“While at times the discussion on 𝕏 can become negative, it’s still good that there is a discussion happening. 𝕏 is the global town square.”
— Elon Musk, 15 September 2025 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Why did you buy Twitter / X?
“It’s fundamentally important to have a global town square, where everyone can communicate within the bounds of the laws of countries. Done right, this is the collective mind of humanity.”
— Elon Musk, 13 August 2025 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Was buying Twitter a bad idea?
“My neural net (aka gut feel) prediction of the future was negative if I didn’t buy Twitter, but positive if I did, so had to be done.”
— Elon Musk, 5 December 2024 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Will buying Twitter be the most important thing you ever did?
“I bought Twitter to improve probable civilizational lifespan”
— Elon Musk, 15 February 2024 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Spaces with Cathie Wood: a year of X
“We've accomplished more advancements in a year than I think Twitter had done in the prior, at least five years.”
— Elon Musk, 21 December 2023 · Watch: X Spaces with Cathie Wood (ARK Invest) (2023) · 6:03 ↗ · In the archive
Spaces with Cathie Wood (Dec 2023): paid verification
“It raises the cost of bots by several orders of magnitude, maybe by 1,000 or 10,000.”
— Elon Musk, 21 December 2023 · Watch: X Spaces with Cathie Wood (ARK Invest) (2023) · 20:43 ↗ · In the archive
Why did Twitter change its name to X?
“Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing. The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140 character messages going back and forth – like birds tweeting – but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video. In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world. The Twitter name does not make sense in that context, so we must bid adieu to the bird.”
— Elon Musk, 25 July 2023 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Why buy Twitter instead of building something new?
“I thought Twitter would perhaps accelerate progress versus creating something from scratch by three to five years…”
— Elon Musk, 15 February 2023 · Watch: World Government Summit · 1:29 ↗ · In the archive
When will you find someone else to run Twitter?
“…towards the end of this year would be good timing to find someone else to run the company…”
— Elon Musk, 15 February 2023 · Watch: World Government Summit · 15:37 ↗ · In the archive
Should you be skeptical of news stories about Twitter?
“Absolutely. Twitter is also a competitor to legacy media for news, so they are fundamentally conflicted.”
— Elon Musk, 12 February 2023 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Twitter Spaces with George Hotz (Dec 2022): speech policy
“…my general philosophy on that is that we should hew close to the law in any given country…”
— Elon Musk, 21 December 2022 · Watch: X Spaces with George Hotz (2022) · 42:01 ↗ · In the archive
Spaces with George Hotz: first priority at Twitter
“The most essential thing to be done at Twitter was to cut the burn rate so that Twitter does not just go bankrupt next year.”
— Elon Musk, 21 December 2022 · Watch: X Spaces with George Hotz (2022) · 30:07 ↗ · In the archive
Twitter engineers Spaces: SMS fraud
“…we're not going to spend $60 million a year on literally SMS texts outside of North America.”
— Elon Musk, 21 December 2022 · Watch: X Spaces with George Hotz (2022) · 48:47 ↗ · In the archive
Twitter Spaces with George Hotz (Dec 2022): why subscriptions?
“…the first thing that companies will cut is discretionary brand advertising. So it is important for Twitter to therefore have a subscriber base.”
— Elon Musk, 21 December 2022 · Watch: X Spaces with George Hotz (2022) · 30:50 ↗ · In the archive
Did you step down as head of Twitter?
“Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll. I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams.”
— Elon Musk, 18 December 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Shouldn't you focus only on opening the Solar System?
“Social media in general, especially Twitter, were eroding civilization. If civilization collapses before Mars becomes self-sustaining, then nothing else matters. Human consciousness is gone.”
— Elon Musk, 13 December 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Is Twitter suppressing speech a First Amendment violation?
“Twitter acting by itself to suppress free speech is not a 1st amendment violation, but acting under orders from the government to suppress free speech, with no judicial review, is”
— Elon Musk, 3 December 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
What changes on Twitter now that you own it?
“Comedy is now legal on Twitter”
— Elon Musk, 28 October 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
What did you say when the Twitter deal closed?
“the bird is freed”
— Elon Musk, 28 October 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
How did you walk into Twitter HQ?
“Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!”
— Elon Musk, 26 October 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Why rename it X?
“Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app”
— Elon Musk, 4 October 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
What are you dressing up as?
“Nice. I’m dressing up as a sink & knocking on random doors. Once they see me, they will have no choice but to let that sink in.”
— Elon Musk, 9 September 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Did you actually respond to the Business Insider reporters?
“No, it was clear that their only goal was a hit price to interfere with the Twitter acquisition. The story was written before they even talked to me.”
— Elon Musk, 20 May 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Why did an allegation surface right after you announced the Twitter deal?
“They began brewing attacks of all kinds as soon as the Twitter acquisition was announced. In my 30 year career, including the entire MeToo era, there’s nothing to report, but, as soon as I say I intend to restore free speech to Twitter & vote Republican, suddenly there is … …”
— Elon Musk, 20 May 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
What would working at Twitter be like after the acquisition?
“Also, work ethic expectations would be extreme, but much less than I demand of myself”
— Elon Musk, 7 May 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
What are you buying after Twitter?
“Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in”
— Elon Musk, 28 April 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive
Why did you buy Twitter?
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”
— Elon Musk, 25 April 2022 · Press release (PR Newswire) ↗ · In the archive
Do you want your critics on the platform?
“I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means”
— Elon Musk, 25 April 2022 · Post on X ↗ · In the archive