Mark Cuban challenged tech billionaire Elon Musk on X, the Musk-owned platform formerly Twitter, over issues related to freedom of speech and suppression of “truths.”
On Saturday morning, Musk posted on the platform, “Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy. If the truth is suppressed, it is impossible to make an informed voting decision. The degree to which freedom of speech is being undermined around the world is extremely alarming.”
Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022, has made numerous changes to the social media platform, including rebranding it as X last year. In addition to altering the logo and name, Musk has changed the site’s functionality by removing article headlines, implementing monthly fees for verified accounts, and offering premium users more characters, among other initiatives.
Some users have reported that the platform is more divisive and less fact-based than before, while Musk argues it has the least restricted speech compared to other popular social media platforms. A report from Columbia Business School published in 2024 revealed that, “accounts of fact-checkers and of unbiased media outlets are receiving 52% and 27% fewer interactions, respectively.”
Cuban, the Shark Tank star and billionaire businessman, shared Musk’s post and wrote on X, “‘Truth’ You do realize that YOU make the decisions on how ‘Truths’ are amplified or suppressed on this platform? That YOU create the most CHAOS when it comes to what is factual or not because YOUR posts get the most amplification?”
“Truth”
You do realize that YOU make the decisions on how “Truths” are amplified or suppressed on this platform ?
That YOU create the most CHAOS when it comes to what is factual or not because YOUR posts get the most amplification ? https://t.co/DqEFf6W8p3
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 10, 2024
Musk frequently posts his political opinions on the platform, sometimes sharing content that is not always verified.
Newsweek reached out to Cuban for comment via email on Saturday and contacted Space X’s media team on behalf of Musk.
In late July, Musk, who has endorsed GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, posted a video featuring an AI-generated voice of Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. According to the Associated Press, the parody video included statements Harris did not make and gained widespread attention after Musk shared it without explicitly noting it was a parody. He later clarified that the video was satire and shared the creator’s original post. He later replied, “parody is legal in America.”
Recently, Musk has come under fire by the United Kingdom’s government for his August 4 comment saying “civil war is inevitable” under a video of violent riots in England. The United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said in response to Musk’s X post, “There’s no justification for comments like that.”
Anti-immigration protests have led to riots and looting in areas of Britain after three children were killed in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29. Misinformation on social media about the identity of the attacker and anti-immigration rhetoric pushed by far-right activists have helped stoke the unrest.
Police have arrested over 100 people connected with the riots, with Starmer saying on Tuesday that those involved would “feel the full force of the law” and that this should “send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online, that you are likely to be dealt with within a week.”
