Elon Musk explains what he meant by ‘free speech’ for Twitter

New Delhi: Elon Musk clarified what he meant by "free speech" on Tuesday, a day after the billionaire tech entrepreneur's Twitter takeover deal was confirmed.

"Free speech" has played prominently in Musk's plans for the social media giant.

Experts said Musk's $44 billion takeover offer for Twitter could lead to more run-ins with the Indian government and others, due to his self-proclaimed ‘absolutist’ stance in support of free speech, as reported by ET on April 27.

Musk stated that free expression must be consistent with the law, and that he opposes censorship that goes beyond the law.

"The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all," Musk said in a cryptic tweet, referring to his critics.



Twitter on Tuesday announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, for $54.20 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion.


"By 'free speech', I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people," Musk said in a tweet Tuesday.

Musk who owns around 9.2% stake in Twitter is its largest individual shareholder.