Musk Says He Bought Twitter Out Of Concern For 'Negative Direction'

Home>
People>

        Elon Musk Has Eyes Rolling With Latest Reasoning For Dropping $44 Billion To Buy Twitter
    

        JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images
    
The Twitter CEO told conference attendees in Paris that his real reasoning for buying Twitter was because he was concerned about the 'negative direction' the social media platform was headed in.
By AB KeithJun 21, 2023
AB Keith
AB Keith is an educator turned roadtripper who is currently teaching virtually while touring the USA.  Her dream is to visit all the national parks and create a series of nonfiction children's books about NP adventures through the eyes of her dog, Backpack Benny.
 See Full Bio 
Top Stories
AI Powered

        American Men Are Flocking To Get Breast Reduction Surgery—And Everyone's Making The Same Powerful Point
    

        Someone Asked Grok To Grade The Oklahoma Student's Bible-Based Essay—And Cue The MAGA Outrage
    

	Forget everything Elon Musk ever said about making Twitter profitable and turning it into a dominant social media force upon his purchase of the platform for $44 million last year.

	The company is now valued at $15 billion with a bleak forecast.

	It's not due to lack of effort, though. Musk did cut several task forces, laid off about 75% of its workforce and continues to attempt making money off of Twitter Blue subscriptions—largely to no avail.

	But forget all that.
Elon Musk didn't do it for the money, according to Elon Musk.

	The acquisition of the social media giant was for the good of mankind, as Musk was concerned about its negative impact on society. At least that's what he said at a conference in Paris on Friday.
According to Business Insider, Musk revealed his true motive behind the purchase.
“If I’m so smart, why did I pay so much for Twitter then?”“I was concerned Twitter was having a negative effect on civilization and corrosive effect on civil society, and anything that undermines civilization, I think, isn’t good."How noble.
“I felt Twitter kept moving in a negative direction and my hope and aspiration was for it to be a positive force for civilization.”\u201c"I was concerned Twitter was moving in a negative direction". \n\ud83e\udd14\ud83e\udded\u2b05\ufe0f\u27a1\ufe0f\nElon Musk at #VivaTech  answering why he decided to buy Twitter \n\nhttps://t.co/oiJ6tPY3pR @BusinessInsider\u201d
 — Maud Clerc (@Maud Clerc)
        1686995909
Of course, users of his own platform called out his alternative facts.
Many noted the platform has become an increasingly toxic space.
\u201c@cest_clerc @BusinessInsider Are you sure he didn't answer, "I was interested in \nmoving Twitter in a negative direction"?\u201d
 — Maud Clerc (@Maud Clerc)
        1686995909

\u201cThe answer is, seriously: he thought there were not enough nazis and fascist on twitter and wanted to do something about it.\nhttps://t.co/6yrD0S78JX\u201d
 — \u0411\u0430\u0439 \u041c\u0438\u0445\u0430\u043b (@\u0411\u0430\u0439 \u041c\u0438\u0445\u0430\u043b)
        1687021276

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn So he thought it was a good idea to make it worse?\ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u201d
 — John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald)
        1686967556

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn @UROCKlive1 What a joke!\u201d
 — John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald)
        1686967556

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn @elonmusk so you made it more toxic and corrosive?  How does that help society.\u201d
 — John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald)
        1686967556

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn @UROCKlive1 He's as bad at rationalization as he is at business.\u201d
 — John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald)
        1686967556

\u201c@SamanthaFlom @elonmusk You\u2019re a long way off @elonmusk\u201d
 — Samantha Flom (@Samantha Flom)
        1686957014

\u201c"I think if someone is a regular Twitter user, then most people would say their experience has improved," Musk said.<--I'm less suppressed now on Twitter, BUT see it as far more dangerous today because of the volume of bigotry, hatred & disinformation \n\nhttps://t.co/cGwk50zKaw\u201d
 — Jones Murphy (@Jones Murphy)
        1686989524

\u201coh, it\u2019s to save the world. riiiiiight. such altruism. \ud83e\udd23 https://t.co/HUzHkmVNxZ\u201d
 — iquanyin (@iquanyin)
        1686953885

\u201cMaybe @elonmusk has something of a sense of humour after all... @jyoti_mann1 reports for @BusinessInsider https://t.co/c6Jtf9FYNj\u201d
 — Chris Johnston (@Chris Johnston)
        1686936678

\u201cBecause your ego is bigger than your intellect?\nhttps://t.co/cnBm7qx55q\u201d
 — VeteranForDemocracy (@VeteranForDemocracy)
        1686961900

@danieldp/Twitter
\u201c@eefsgurl He bought Twitter because he was lonely and thought it would make him popular.\u201d
 — Eeefs aka phobos (@Eeefs aka phobos)
        1687112525
And Musk truly believes he's doing a stellar job.
"I think if someone is a regular Twitter user, then most people would say their experience has improved." "We've gotten rid of 90% of bots and scams and various bad things happening. We've gotten rid of 95% of child exploitation material on Twitter, which was a shock to see ... some of what was going on for 10 years." That's not what we've been hearing from regular Twitter users...
\u201cThe twitter bots are out of control, this is how skynet starts.\u201d
 — 3rd Place J (@3rd Place J)
        1687305352

\u201cI thought Twitter was getting rid of bots...\n\nIt's been bad the last 2 weeks\u201d
 — whiLd (@whiLd)
        1687302325

	... but whatever he needs to tell himself.
Latest News
Political News
        Gavin Newsom Just Hilariously Trolled President Trump's New 'Walk Of Fame' With A Brutal One Of His Own
    
Alan Herrera
05 December
Political News
        The OU Student Who Got A Zero On Her Bible-Based Essay Was Just Honored By Republicans—Because Of Course
    
Alan Herrera
05 December
Political News
        Clip Of Trump Mocking Pete Buttigieg As His Cronies Laugh Feels Like It's Straight Out Of 'Austin Powers'
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
05 December
Political News
        Prince Harry Just Took A Hilariously Brutal Jab At Trump During Surprise Appearance On 'Colbert'
    
Alan Herrera
05 December
Don’t Miss Out

      Join the
      ComicSands.com
      community and make your opinion matter.
    

The Top 5

Discover More

Forget everything Elon Musk ever said about making Twitter profitable and turning it into a dominant social media force upon his purchase of the platform for $44 million last year.

The company is now valued at $15 billion with a bleak forecast.

It's not due to lack of effort, though. Musk did cut several task forces, laid off about 75% of its workforce and continues to attempt making money off of Twitter Blue subscriptions—largely to no avail.

But forget all that.

Elon Musk didn't do it for the money, according to Elon Musk.

The acquisition of the social media giant was for the good of mankind, as Musk was concerned about its negative impact on society. At least that's what he said at a conference in Paris on Friday.

According to Business Insider, Musk revealed his true motive behind the purchase.

“If I’m so smart, why did I pay so much for Twitter then?”

“I was concerned Twitter was having a negative effect on civilization and corrosive effect on civil society, and anything that undermines civilization, I think, isn’t good."

How noble.

“I felt Twitter kept moving in a negative direction and my hope and aspiration was for it to be a positive force for civilization.”

\u201c"I was concerned Twitter was moving in a negative direction". \n\ud83e\udd14\ud83e\udded\u2b05\ufe0f\u27a1\ufe0f\nElon Musk at #VivaTech answering why he decided to buy Twitter \n\nhttps://t.co/oiJ6tPY3pR @BusinessInsider\u201d
— Maud Clerc (@Maud Clerc) 1686995909

Of course, users of his own platform called out his alternative facts.

Many noted the platform has become an increasingly toxic space.

\u201c@cest_clerc @BusinessInsider Are you sure he didn't answer, "I was interested in \nmoving Twitter in a negative direction"?\u201d
— Maud Clerc (@Maud Clerc) 1686995909

\u201cThe answer is, seriously: he thought there were not enough nazis and fascist on twitter and wanted to do something about it.\nhttps://t.co/6yrD0S78JX\u201d
— \u0411\u0430\u0439 \u041c\u0438\u0445\u0430\u043b (@\u0411\u0430\u0439 \u041c\u0438\u0445\u0430\u043b) 1687021276

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn So he thought it was a good idea to make it worse?\ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u201d
— John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald) 1686967556

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn @UROCKlive1 What a joke!\u201d
— John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald) 1686967556

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn @elonmusk so you made it more toxic and corrosive? How does that help society.\u201d
— John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald) 1686967556

\u201c@TheTweetOfJohn @UROCKlive1 He's as bad at rationalization as he is at business.\u201d
— John FitzGerald (@John FitzGerald) 1686967556

\u201c@SamanthaFlom @elonmusk You\u2019re a long way off @elonmusk\u201d
— Samantha Flom (@Samantha Flom) 1686957014

\u201c"I think if someone is a regular Twitter user, then most people would say their experience has improved," Musk said.<--I'm less suppressed now on Twitter, BUT see it as far more dangerous today because of the volume of bigotry, hatred & disinformation \n\nhttps://t.co/cGwk50zKaw\u201d
— Jones Murphy (@Jones Murphy) 1686989524

\u201coh, it\u2019s to save the world. riiiiiight. such altruism. \ud83e\udd23 https://t.co/HUzHkmVNxZ\u201d
— iquanyin (@iquanyin) 1686953885

\u201cMaybe @elonmusk has something of a sense of humour after all... @jyoti_mann1 reports for @BusinessInsider https://t.co/c6Jtf9FYNj\u201d
— Chris Johnston (@Chris Johnston) 1686936678

\u201cBecause your ego is bigger than your intellect?\nhttps://t.co/cnBm7qx55q\u201d
— VeteranForDemocracy (@VeteranForDemocracy) 1686961900

@danieldp/Twitter

\u201c@eefsgurl He bought Twitter because he was lonely and thought it would make him popular.\u201d
— Eeefs aka phobos (@Eeefs aka phobos) 1687112525

And Musk truly believes he's doing a stellar job.

"I think if someone is a regular Twitter user, then most people would say their experience has improved."

"We've gotten rid of 90% of bots and scams and various bad things happening. We've gotten rid of 95% of child exploitation material on Twitter, which was a shock to see ... some of what was going on for 10 years."

That's not what we've been hearing from regular Twitter users...

\u201cThe twitter bots are out of control, this is how skynet starts.\u201d
— 3rd Place J (@3rd Place J) 1687305352

\u201cI thought Twitter was getting rid of bots...\n\nIt's been bad the last 2 weeks\u201d
— whiLd (@whiLd) 1687302325

... but whatever he needs to tell himself.

Related Articles Around the Web

More from People

        @atrupar/X
    

        Trump Dragged After Making Ridiculous Claim About Randomly Finding Billions On The 'Tariff Shelf'
    
Alan Herrera
Dec 05, 2025
President Donald Trump was criticized after he claimed to reporters this week that officials in his administration suddenly found $30 billion they "never knew existed"—located on what Trump referred to as the "tariff shelf."
Tariffs are a tax on imported goods, usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price. While tariffs can shield domestic manufacturers by making foreign products more expensive, they are also used as a tool to penalize countries engaged in unfair trade practices, such as government subsidies or dumping goods below market value.
Keep ReadingShow less
Most Read
Trending
        Pilot Reveals What Actually Happens If You Don't Switch Your Phone To Airplane Mode
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
07 August
Political News
        Jeffrey Epstein's Brother Reveals Infuriating Theory For Why Trump Reversed Course On Releasing The Epstein Files
    
Alan Herrera
18 November
Political News
        Pete Hegseth Roasted After His Placard At Cabinet Meeting Includes Hilariously Fitting Typo
    
Alan Herrera
04 December
Political News
        MAGA Senator Offers Absurd Defense Of Trump After Mark Kelly Calls Out His Racist Rhetoric
    
Alan Herrera
01 December
Political News
        Trump Just Epically Threw JD Vance Under The Bus While Trying To Insult Tim Walz—And Yikes!
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
03 December

        Katie Smith on Unsplash
    

        Professional Chefs Share The Top Mistakes Average Home Cooks Make
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
Dec 05, 2025
With the expansion of cable television and then streaming services, a number of competition shows featuring amateur home cooks. Shows like Master Chef and The Great British Bake Off garnered huge followings and spawned numerous global and domestic spin-offs.
The food produced by these amateurs is beyond the talents of even some professional chefs. But what about the average home cook? What can they learn from the professionals?
Keep ReadingShow less

        ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
    

        RFK Jr.'s HHS Blasted As CDC Panel Considers Dropping Life-Saving Hepatitis B Vaccine For Newborns
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
Dec 04, 2025
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), met Thursday for the first of two days of discussions about childhood vaccine schedules and recommendations.
The panel focused on the hepatitis B vaccine and plans to vote on Friday whether to continue recommending it be given to all children at birth or to recommend something entirely different. The panel previously tabled making a decision on infant and early childhood hep-B vaccination in September.
Keep ReadingShow less

        @monicasanluiss/TikTok
    

        Bride's Friends Surprise Her With Montage Video Of All Her Exes At Bachelorette Party—And People Are Mortified
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
Dec 04, 2025
While Jenny Han's novel To All the Boys I've Loved Before was a major hit, and even became a great film success in 2018, not everyone's married to the idea of reconnecting with their exes after the relationships end.
It might be nice to imagine staying friends after the relationships, imagining our exes missing us or regretting losing us, or even giving us an apology for the things they did wrong. But most of us pine for this for a little while, realize it's all a fairy tale, and push past it to better things and new love.
Keep ReadingShow less

        @alexamcnee/TikTok
    

        TikToker Sparks Debate After Calling Out Driver's Extremely Bright Headlights For Blinding Her
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
Dec 04, 2025
Whether we are drivers or passengers, we've all experienced that annoying, possibly painful moment of feeling like we're being blinded by a fellow driver whose headlights are far too bright for a standard car on a standard road.
But while most of us complain about it to ourselves and leave it at that, TikToker Alexa McNee stepped up for all of us and called it out.
Keep ReadingShow less
Load More

Latest Stories

Start your day right!

Elon Musk Has Eyes Rolling With Latest Reasoning For Dropping $44 Billion To Buy Twitter

The Twitter CEO told conference attendees in Paris that his real reasoning for buying Twitter was because he was concerned about the 'negative direction' the social media platform was headed in.

Latest News

Don’t Miss Out

More from People

Most Read

Browning

Sharpening

Common Sense

Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat

Scraping

Tasting

Gadgets

Preheating/Overheating

Mistakes

Pastry

Amateur Advice

Practicing

Caramelizing

Simplicity

Baking