Why is Elon Musk unhappy with Microsoft Word's inclusiveness checker

Elon Musk continues his critique on woke culture, this time targeting Microsoft Word's inclusiveness checker. The X owner expressed dissatisfaction on social media after being suggested for using the term 'insane' in a document.

Musk's followers on X joined in, humorously suggesting that Microsoft Word had itself gone insane. One supporter remarked, "Wokeism has infiltrated everything on this planet.”

Elon Musk expressed frustration when Microsoft Word's inclusive spell check flagged the term 'insane stability' in reference to a vehicle, possibly the Cybertruck, citing it as having a "mental health bias."


Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize, stating, 'Microsoft Word now scolds you for using non-"inclusive" words!'

This sparked a backlash from Musk's supporters, with one commenter noting, “MS Word is going woke,” and another humorously adding, 'They're really putting the "Soft" in Microsoft.' Amidst the uproar, someone playfully responded to the suggestion with a simple, “That's insane.”

Musk expressed frustration with Microsoft Word's suggestions, as it proposed metric measurements for an imperial weight statement of '11,000lbs towing capacity.' Some users found the suggestions interesting, with one saying, “I actually kinda like this one,” and another noting, “This actually seems useful.”

Musk and his supporters are upset about a Microsoft Word feature called 'Ideas in Word.' This feature primarily suggests gender-neutral alternatives for terms like 'policeman' or 'manpower' and also identifies potentially offensive phrases for consideration.

The tool in Microsoft Word, commonly known as the 'inclusiveness checker,' has faced criticism for its frequently awkward and somewhat random suggestions. Despite being present in all versions of Microsoft Word since 2019, it is deactivated by default. Activating the checker involves several steps and is always at the user's discretion, as per Microsoft's policy.

Since assuming control of Twitter last year, Musk has been actively engaged in an ongoing dispute regarding free speech on the platform. He strongly opposes 'wokeism' and advocates for radical policies that, in his view, uphold the principles of free expression. Despite easing moderation on X, Musk has consistently endorsed controversial figures such as Andrew Tate and Alex Jones.

Identifying as a 'free-speech absolutist,' Musk's permissive stance on offensive content has led to clashes with advertisers. A surge in hate speech and antisemitism prompted major advertisers to exit the platform en masse. Tensions escalated when Musk, at a recent event, bluntly told departing advertisers to “go f*** yourself.”

FAQs:

Q1: When was Twitter renamed and rebranded as X?
A1: July 23, 2023.

Q2: What is the name of Elon Musk’s company that focuses on artificial intelligence?
A2: xAI.