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

        People Share The Most Bada** Thing Their Dad Has Ever Done
    

        Sorbo gripes about Vikings cheerleaders
    

	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
Donald Trump
        Beto O'Rourke Brings The Receipts After Texas AG 'Blatantly Lies' While Calling For O'Rourke's Arrest
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
13h
Trending
        Guy Warns About Using Mirror Reflection As Game After Accidentally 'Breaking' Best Friend's Dog
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
14h
Trending
        Pilot Goes Viral After Putting Ungrateful Passenger Who Had Medical Emergency On Blast
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
14h
Trending
        Guy Called Out For Sitting In Car While Chivalrous Stranger Offers To Pump Gas For His Wife
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
14h
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

        @sweetteataylor/TikTok
    

        Gay Man's Story About A Recent Hookup Takes An Awkward Turn At The Car Wash—And Yikes
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
Aug 14, 2025
We've all heard of the walk of shame, but have we heard of the car wash of shame?
TikToker @sweetteataylor found himself in a uniquely awkward situation after he hooked up with a guy a few nights before via Grindr. When the guy was getting ready to leave, he dropped his wallet, exposing a photo of him with his wife and children.
Keep ReadingShow less
Most Read
Political News
        Kristi Noem Ripped After Offering Groanworthy Nickname For New Migrant Detention Center
    
Alan Herrera
07 August
Political News
        New York Republican Accidentally Describes America's 250th Birthday Festivities With NSFW Phrase
    
Alan Herrera
11 August
Political News
        'South Park' Rips Trump Administration After ICE Uses Image From Show For Recruiting Effort
    
Alan Herrera
07 August
Political News
        John Leguizamo Just Brutally Dragged Dean Cain For Joining ICE—And Fans Are Applauding
    
Alan Herrera
11 August
Donald Trump
        'South Park' Hits Back At Kristi Noem's Gripe About Show With Hilarious Profile Photo Change
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
12 August

        @newheightsshow/TikTok
    

        Taylor Swift Just Appeared On Travis Kelce's Podcast—And Hilariously Trolled His Fans
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
Aug 14, 2025
There is one vital, earth-shattering, no-going-back difference between Swifties and a certain subgroup of male football fans: Swifties are big fans of Taylor Swift's relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. But this group of male football fans?
They hate the relationship so much, they're counting down the days until Kelce retires, just so they hopefully don't have to see Swift in the stands anymore. Talk about conditional love!
Keep ReadingShow less

        Gilbert Flores/GG2025/Penske Media/Getty Images
    

        Fans Outraged After Makeup Brand Features Controversial Comedian Matt Rife In New Ad Campaign
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
Aug 14, 2025
Content warning: domestic violence, joking about domestic violence
From tasteless and harmful domestic violence jokes on Netflix to becoming the protector for haunted dolls, Matt Rife has been hot in the news lately, but honestly, not all news is good news.
Keep ReadingShow less

        River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images; Ethan Miller/Getty Images
    

        Ariana Grande Costar Offers Hilarious Reaction After Fan Claims She's Never Cast Opposite 'Hot' Actors
    
Peter Karleby
Aug 14, 2025
In our chaotic world, there are still a few things you can count on: the sun rising and setting, and "Stan Twitter" being unhinged.
 After the announcement of him being cast next to pop diva Ariana Grande, actor Skyler Gisondo was the latest star to learn how pop stans just go on X and say anything that comes to mind.
Keep ReadingShow less

        Patrick Smith/Getty Images
    

        Trans Nonbinary Track Star Nikki Hiltz Shares Powerful Video Documenting Their Top Surgery Journey
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
Aug 14, 2025
United States Olympian Nikki Hiltz is a middle distance runner who in 2021 came out as transgender and nonbinary on International Transgender Day of Visibility.
On August 6 of this year—four years after coming out and four days after winning the national title in the 1500 meter race at the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon...
Keep ReadingShow less
Load More

Women Reveal The Dumbest Thing They've Witnessed A Man Believe About Women

Site Navigation

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.

People Share The Most Bada** Thing Their Dad Has Ever Done

Sorbo gripes about Vikings cheerleaders

Latest News

Beto O'Rourke Brings The Receipts After Texas AG 'Blatantly Lies' While Calling For O'Rourke's Arrest

Guy Warns About Using Mirror Reflection As Game After Accidentally 'Breaking' Best Friend's Dog

Pilot Goes Viral After Putting Ungrateful Passenger Who Had Medical Emergency On Blast

Guy Called Out For Sitting In Car While Chivalrous Stranger Offers To Pump Gas For His Wife

The Top 5

Pilot Reveals What Actually Happens If You Don't Switch Your Phone To Airplane Mode

MAGA Furious After GOP Rep. Mocks Party's Texas Gerrymandering Hypocrisy With Brutal Meme

Newsom Expertly Rips Trump For Hiding Obama Portrait In Hidden Staircase At White House

Fans love Pascal's clapbacks

Trump Just Seemingly Revealed The Real Reason He Took Over The Kennedy Center—And Yep, That Tracks

Discover More

More from People

Gay Man's Story About A Recent Hookup Takes An Awkward Turn At The Car Wash—And Yikes

Most Read

Kristi Noem Ripped After Offering Groanworthy Nickname For New Migrant Detention Center

New York Republican Accidentally Describes America's 250th Birthday Festivities With NSFW Phrase

'South Park' Rips Trump Administration After ICE Uses Image From Show For Recruiting Effort

John Leguizamo Just Brutally Dragged Dean Cain For Joining ICE—And Fans Are Applauding

'South Park' Hits Back At Kristi Noem's Gripe About Show With Hilarious Profile Photo Change

Taylor Swift Just Appeared On Travis Kelce's Podcast—And Hilariously Trolled His Fans

Fans Outraged After Makeup Brand Features Controversial Comedian Matt Rife In New Ad Campaign

Ariana Grande Costar Offers Hilarious Reaction After Fan Claims She's Never Cast Opposite 'Hot' Actors

Trans Nonbinary Track Star Nikki Hiltz Shares Powerful Video Documenting Their Top Surgery Journey

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