Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos has asked in a post on Twitter if Elon Musk's $44 billion cash deal to buy Twitter gives China “a bit of leverage over the town square”.
Twitter is blocked in China, where Musk, the world's richest person, has key business interests.
Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist and has criticised Twitter's content moderation policy, reached a deal on Monday to buy the social media platform.
Political activists expect that Musk's ownership of Twitter will mean less moderation and reinstatement of banned individuals including former U.S. President Donald Trump.
There are also questions on what the deal will mean for Twitter's China content policy as Musk's Tesla relies heavily on China for production and vehicle sales.
“Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square?” Bezos tweeted late on Monday.
“My own answer to this question is probably not. The more likely outcome in this regard is complexity in China for Tesla, rather than censorship at Twitter,” he later tweeted.
Interesting question. Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square? https://t.co/jTiEnabP6T
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 25, 2022
Musk said in a tweet on Monday: "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means."
Meanwhile, Sputnik news agency reported that former head and co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, on Tuesday endorsed that the company be acquired by billionaire Elon Musk, acknowledging trusting him and supporting his goal to make Twitter “maximally trusted and broadly inclusive.”
On Monday, after nearly a month of negotiations, an agreement was reached on Musk's acquisition of Twitter for about $44 billion. The move will see the social media giant delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and turned into a private company.
Reuters