Ex-Reddit CEO warns Elon Musk that he is too out of touch with internet culture to understand current challenges facing large social networks like Twitter
I've now been asked multiple times for my take on Elon's offer for Twitter. So fine, this is what I think about that. I will assume the takeover succeeds, and he takes Twitter private. (I have little knowledge/insight into how actual takeover battles work or play out) (long 🧵) Tweets: @marcowenjones , @barrylyga , @dlauer , @abhymurarka , @hankgreen , @dislekcia , @muddywatersre , @cathyyoung63 , @charlesarthur , @edzitron , @danprimack , @davemcclure , @levie , and @joshelman Tweets: Marc Owen Jones / @marcowenjones : Good thread on internet culture and content moderation, although as @jricole mentioned, a lot of the controversial or polarising content is often the work of bad actors manipulating the platform. Get rid of them, then at least we can have a conversation about real people https://twitter.com/... Barry Lyga / @barrylyga : Yes, this is a good (long!) thread, but it veers into both-sides-ism and neglects to acknowledge that only one side is stock-piling guns and threatening to murder the other side. Other than that (significant) omission, there's a lot of value in here. https://twitter.com/... Dave Lauer / @dlauer : This is an exceptional overview of what it's like to try to run a social media platform, and about how reasoned arguments have simply given way to the worst possible consequence-less rhetoric. If we want social media platforms to be better, we have to be better humans. https://twitter.com/... Abhishek Murarka / @abhymurarka : Whenever there is a big topic that catches mass fancy, there come a defining read on it. This thread is that on the Elon Musk- Twitter saga. Do read. https://twitter.com/... Hank Green / @hankgreen : This is an incredibly useful thread. There are things in it I disagree with, but it is the best thing I've seen come out of the “Elon wants to buy Twitter” discourse. (@yishan is a former CEO of Reddit) https://twitter.com/... Danny Day / @dislekcia : Perhaps unsurprisingly, the dude that ran reddit doesn't understand censorship, platform responsibility or social issues like hate speech. Who could possibly have guessed that he'd have a merely process/features concept of social interaction? https://twitter.com/... @muddywatersre : This thread strikes me as spot on regarding perceptions of political bias by social media platforms. For everybody who clapped back at me yesterday over my Tweet about the dystopia that would be MuskTwit, this is great reading. https://twitter.com/... Cathy Young / @cathyyoung63 : Not sure I agree with every word. But fascinating thread. https://twitter.com/... Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur : This is the most brilliant thread that you'll see on this topic; on the whole topic of social networks and “political leanings” and “censorship”, from someone who's been there. Read this. You'll be SO much wiser by the end. Almost every tweet is quotable. Great points every one. https://twitter.com/... Ed Zitron / @edzitron : And if there's one place I'd give credit for being able to deal with issues of free speech and not letting things run rampant in a way that's very bad, I'm picking Reddit https://twitter.com/... Dan Primack / @danprimack : Phenomenal thread from former Reddit CEO ⬇️⬇️ ⬇️ https://twitter.com/... Dave McClure / @davemcclure : not just some yahoo's random opinion — @yishan was briefly CEO @Reddit, and is old-school PayPal mafia (also ex-FB)... thoughtful take on “free” speech vs. content moderation. 🤔⚖️🗽 https://twitter.com/... Aaron Levie / @levie : Read this entire thread if you think running a social network is easy. https://twitter.com/... Josh Elman / @joshelman : This is an absolute masterpiece of a thread on why moderating social networks in 2022 is very different than the original “free speech” internet, why it is about behavior and network collapse and safety vs about arbitrating truth, and the superhuman work involved to try... https://twitter.com/...