According to the New York Post reported on the 4th, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, said on Wednesday that it is unclear whether Tesla CEO Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion will bring positive changes to the US social media platform. Gates believes the move could make the problem of Twitter spreading misinformation worse.
Bill Gates Source: Visual China
Speaking at the CEO Council Forum Summit in the Wall Street Journal, Gates said: "He (Musk) could actually make things worse." That's not what he's been good at before — his accomplishments at Tesla and SpaceX have been very exciting, and he's assembled a great team of engineers to take in people who work in these areas in a less adventurous way and really show off what they're capable of. ”
Gates added: "I kind of doubt [such success] will happen this time. However, we should keep an open mind and never underestimate Elon. What is his goal? When he talks about openness [of social media], what does he think about statements like 'vaccines kill people' or 'Bill Gates is monitoring people,' and does he think such talk should be disseminated?"
Bill Gates Source: Visual China
Musk has reportedly promised to change the strict content moderation policy implemented by Twitter's current leadership, re-emphasizing "free speech" on social media platforms. Critics point out that he has previously made confrontational remarks on Twitter, suggesting that he may allow more vulgar remarks and harmful content to spread.
Previously, there have been many debates between Musk and Gates, two billionaires. According to the US Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) reported on April 23, Musk admitted in a tweet that he had asked Bill Gates whether he had shorted Tesla stock.
Musk tweeted: "I've heard from multiple TED people that Gates still holds a $500 million tesla short position, and that's why I asked him, so it's not top secret." ”
Musk Image source: Visual China
Musk revealed the above topic in response to a Twitter user's question about whether the screenshots of the conversation between the two billionaires are real. Musk's response to the question was: "Yes, but I didn't leak it to The New York Times." They must have gotten the news through some friends who were in the know. ”
It is reported that the content of this screenshot is as follows:
Musk asked Gates, "Do you still hold a short $500 million Tesla position?"
Gates replied, "Unfortunately, I haven't cleared my position yet." I would like to discuss (with you) the possibility of developing philanthropy. ”
Musk retorted: "I'm sorry, but when you still have a lot of short Tesla positions, I can't take your philanthropy on climate change seriously, after all, Tesla has done the most to solve climate change." 」 ”
Musk then taunted Gates on Twitter, putting a photo of the Microsoft co-founder holding up his big belly with a "pregnant man" meme symbol and saying "just in case you need to lose weight quickly."
The New York Post said that when asked about Musk's tweets, Gates downplayed the dispute. He told the moderator of the CEO Council Forum event: "It won't bother him."
(Editor: ZLQ)