Is Elon Musk Attempting To Destroy Twitter?

Right here’s a query I’ve been questioning about:

Is Elon Musk making an attempt to destroy Twitter?

I’m undecided why the brand new proprietor of the social media app would wish to try this. But, if the selections he’s making are any indication, it nearly looks as if that’s the plan.

For starters, Musk has targeted an excessive amount of on the blue verify verification. If this vainness image is meant to be a income generator, the “actual” consumer base shouldn’t be shopping for it. Actually.

The blue verify has a decidedly 2010 really feel to it. That was when a few of us cared about verified accounts, which grew to become a chance round that point (or no less than that’s when a few of us began interested by it — the blue verify system truly launched in 2009).

It’s additionally about when Klout debuted, the vainness system to let others know the way essential you might be. I’m undecided once we stopped caring about it, however the development went one thing like this: First, we thought verification and Klout scores meant one thing. So we labored on our follower counts, posted continuously, and began babysitting our social feeds. In the future, perhaps round 2014 or so, a few of us (me included) realized it was all a waste of time.

We realized, too, that there are two sorts of Twitter customers. There are well-known individuals after which there’s the remainder of us. Like all true democracy, versus a tyranny or a monarchy, everyone knows an app doesn’t stay or die based mostly on Kim Kardashian’s posting schedule. It’s when the lots flock to an app and it turns into a part of the tradition. That’s when actual progress occurs. Twitter has caught round, and so has Kim, however I’m beginning to doubt whether or not it has any actual cultural cachet anymore.

What else has Musk carried out? Banned distant work. Fired half the workers and a couple of executives together with the CEO. Informed everybody the highway forward will likely be robust and chapter shouldn’t be out of the query. Urged that half the income for Twitter has to come back from subscriptions. (By the best way, that’s like saying half your income ought to come from individuals paying for unsolicited mail.)

After which there’s the failed promoting mannequin. Musk appears to be cannibalizing it versus enabling it. Perhaps he doesn’t assume nurturing advertiser relationships is that essential. At Tesla, Musk is used to creating a stellar product value shopping for. Twitter is free; it barely makes a product in any respect. We’re the product.

For an organization like Twitter that’s constructed fully on the concept of creating wealth while you present adverts to customers, you’ll assume promoting can be a little bit extra of a spotlight.

It nearly looks as if Elon Musk views Twitter as a democratization zone, a spot for open and free speech on a platform accessible to everybody. The issue is that that is additionally true of Linux, Wikipedia, and the native library.

Twitter is a business enterprise. It could possibly’t be fully open and free, until it desires to be a non-profit. You can also’t have each worlds: a business enterprise making an attempt to promote blue verify verifications and a non-profit making an attempt to say openness and freedom. They will’t co-exist.

Musk just lately posted about how Twitter will do lots of dumb issues. (Requiring 80-hour work weeks and canceling the free meals is perhaps two of them.) He appears to be hinting at a rebuilding of the empire. With a view to develop, the corporate has to reinvent itself, and there will likely be lots of collateral harm when that occurs.

Sadly, I don’t assume social media customers assume that manner. We leap onto apps like BeReal as a result of they do one thing new and enjoyable. We don’t need or anticipate anybody to do a foundational realignment or work on the structure. If there’s work to do on an app it’s already too late. We additionally don’t care how the corporate makes cash. The product is both worthwhile or has worn out its welcome. There is no such thing as a center floor.

So what’s Elon Musk doing?

I ponder typically. Perhaps he purchased the corporate so he might hearth the manager staff. Perhaps he believes the open supply mannequin for software program has some viability within the social media market, regardless of the income potential of that being nearly zero. Perhaps he simply likes to create memes and wished to make it possible for was attainable.

I’ll say: I’m fascinated by the dumpster hearth.

I wish to see if Twitter can change into the Tesla of social media, however I’m additionally curious if that is simply one other apocalypse of expertise. I imply, along with Fb.