Twitter offered the world many things. One, it allowed people to connect – even to those they do not know personally. Likewise, it allowed them to interact with celebs who they wouldn’t be able to contact otherwise. On top of that, Twitter encourages people to exercise their rights to free speech and expression. So in a sense, Twitter is a “say whatever you want to whoever you want” place.
Twitter user or not, for sure by now that disputes happen on Twitter a lot. Small arguments on the platform could escalate quickly, sometimes because other users fan the flames to keep it going. They find Twitter users throwing snarky remarks at each other quite entertaining.
Sometimes, these are caused by the desire to make the world a better place, which is ironic. Activists and social justice warriors call out people who went against what they are fighting for. This is what they call Cancel Culture. If one or both parties are prominent figures, the more widespread the news will be, the more interested Twitter users will be. It could blow out of proportion.
Elon Musk is one of the many famous people who spent some time in the “Twitter spotlight.” Thanks to his tweeting habits, he landed in several sticky situations.
Musk And The Wild Boars
Elon Musk uses Twitter just like any other guy. He checks in to see what’s happening around him and publishes Tweets when he feels like it. He put out an April Fool joke about Tesla going bankrupt. Also, he threw slight jabs at investors who betted against him when Tesla overtook Ford’s market value using Twitter. Still, his Twitter habits seem harmless enough.
However, a Twitter user’s request has set a series of exciting events. In June 2018, a boys soccer team got stranded in a flooded cave in Thailand. The news caught the attention of the whole world. But what does that have to do with Elon Musk, who is oceans away?
A Twitter user urged Elon Musk to intervene. Why him? Maybe because he’s influential, so the user thought he might be able to help. At first, he hesitated. But after a few days, he stated that he might be able to help the kids. He announced that his engineers would design a mini-submarine that could be used for the rescue
operation. And that they did, though there was no indication that the rescuers in Thailand wanted such help.
Conveniently enough, Tesla’s team was preparing for Musk to meet with Chinese government leaders at that time. The purpose of the visit is to celebrate the automaker’s deal to open a factory in China. If that happened at any other time, Musk’s focus would be focusing on the triumph. But that time, his mind was in the cave.
He took a stopover in Thailand en route to China to deliver the mini-submarine. Of course, he tweeted about it since he’s been documenting his effort on Twitter. “Leaving [the mini-submarine] here in case it may be used in the future,” he Tweeted even as a rescue attempt was underway. They managed to rescue the kids without needing the mini-submarine.
Musk And Vernon Unsworth Throwing Shade
Elon Musk had the mini-sub built to help – and since somebody asked him to. So, it came as a surprise when he woke up in China and found out that the media was turning against him.
The submarine wouldn’t have been practical for the mission, said Narongsak Osottanakorn to the press. He is the head of the operation coordinating the rescue and the regional governor. Reports said that Osottanakorn ignored Musk’s camp’s calls. With that, people’s opinions about Musk’s efforts turned 180.
Now, Elon Musk is known for being combative on Twitter. “We need to go all out and make this guy retract his comment,” he tweeted.
But the governor was not the only one opposing him. Vernon Unsworth, a spelunker who helped with the rescue, threw some shade during an interview with CNN. He was asked what he thinks of Musk’s submarine. Unsworth called it a PR stunt. He also said that “it had absolutely no chance of working.” Furthermore, he stated that Musk had “no conception of what the cave passage was like.”
Of course, that made Musk furious. He attacked the spelunker using a series of messages on Twitter. The business mogul even called Unsworth a pedophile on one of the Tweets.
Accusations and Myths: Did Elon Musk Buy Twitter Followers?
You can predict what happened next. It bore adverse effects on Musk and Tesla’s public image. Shares plunged 3.5%, costing them almost $2 billion of valuation. One of Tesla’s most prominent investors chimed in and said it was “a regrettable instance.” Considering Tesla was not really in great shape at that time, his words couldn’t be any more accurate. Other investors and analysts agreed with him, and they all believe Musk is distracted from Tesla’s main business. He gained so many followers, people thought he bought Twitter followers to make up for the loss.
People close to Musk tried to convince Musk to apologize. He did not give in at first. He argued that an apology offered so quickly after Tesla’s shares had dropped would feel inauthentic. However, he eventually relented and admitted his mistake. Though, he made sure that Unsworth would also be held accountable.
But things did not stop there. The damage has already been done, and Tesla is still fighting an uphill battle. Then when the much-needed help came, Musk’s tweeting habits put them in a tight situation once again. He publicly announced something that was not supposed to be revealed yet. Musk opened another can of worms, making it harder for his company to make a comeback.
Takeaway
Tesla is still here, and Elon Musk is still the CEO. That means they still managed to resolve things and save the company after all that’s happened. This story is old, yet it contains a message that is still relevant.
The lesson here is that people on Twitter should be mindful of what they are putting out on the platform. If you represent a company or a brand, there’s more reason for you to do so. You would not want to experience what Elon Musk did. Whether he admits it or not, it was not pleasant.
How silly would it have been if between the infamous podcast with Mr. Rogan, to his comical rants on Twitter, if Elon lost everything? He is now the richest person on Earth, making his net worth higher than many countries and Fortune 500 companies. He is wildly beloved online for his quirky attitude and has millions of more followers than even ex-Presidents.
- Post-Twitter Follower World of Elon Musk
Some think Elon Musk may one day get forcibly removed from Twitter, likely due to his offensive opinions and his lack of an ability to stop himself from sharing them online. This obviously breaks Twitter’s rules and puts Twitter in a difficult spot to dial back the devil, so to speak. What happens if he gets removed from the platform for repeating rule violations?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They have already proved this concept for the safety of the community, and the Twitter user base has continued to grow, demonstrating it is not only a great idea but the only idea. Twitter has the biggest responsibility to itself and its shareholders. This truth spans across time itself, meaning they need to make money today, tomorrow, and in ten years from now. Ensuring the platform’s safety in all countries on Earth is mission-critical for these Twitter executives who devise the policy for the platform.