Americans react to Musk buying Twitter: ‘Elon is for the people’
Majority of New Yorkers FOX Business spoke with expressed excitement over the sale
FOX Business' Madison Alworth reports from Times Square in New York City.
The majority of Americans FOX Business spoke with on Wednesday said they were happy about Elon Musk striking a deal to buy Twitter, with one calling the Tesla CEO a man "for the people."
On Monday, it was revealed that the company's board unanimously accepted Musk’s $44 billion offer to take the social media giant private.
"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Musk said in a statement.
ELON MUSK TAKES TO TWITTER TO EXPLAIN ‘WHAT FREE SPEECH’ MEANS
He added that he wants "to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spambots, and authenticating all humans."
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"I think it’s great because I feel like Elon is for the people, so he’s trying to do what’s best for everybody else because he’s just that type of person," one man said from Times Square in New York City during an interview that aired on "Varney & Co." Wednesday.
Another, however, said he was "skeptical" of Musk’s "promises to make Twitter much more open and more First Amendment-friendly."
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He explained that he doesn’t see how that can happen without opening a forum that can condone hate speech.
"You have to have someone monitoring the content," he urged.
Another man disagreed, stressing the need for "a place where people can communicate freely and openly."
Fox News contributor and ‘The War on the West’ author Douglas Murray provides insight into the liberal media criticizing Tesla CEO Elon Musk for buying Twitter.
Musk is a frequent citric of Twitter, which he has previously accused of stifling free speech. In the past, the tech executive, who describes himself as a "free speech absolutist," has proposed relaxing Twitter content restrictions.
During a recent interview at a TED conference, Musk argued that social media networks should not remove comments that are offensive if they are still legal.
"If it's a gray area, let the tweet exist," Musk said.
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The transaction is expected to close in 2022, subject to the approval of Twitter stockholders, the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.
Twitter independent board chairman Brett Taylor said the company "conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon's proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing."
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FOX Business’ Megen Henney and Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.