Though helium inactive says he’s aft “balance” successful Washington, he’s come down hard connected the Republican broadside — and the enactment is present treating him arsenic a convert. The informal confederation has already paid immoderate aboriginal governmental dividends, erstwhile the GOP backed Musk successful a spat with Apple, and with Republicans taking implicit the House adjacent year, it could beryllium utile for a tech CEO who’s perpetually successful the spotlight.
“Every clip we tin adhd idiosyncratic of Mr. Musk’s intellect to the Republican Party, I’d bash an old-man backflip. I’m blessed to person him,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said of Musk.
The billionaire is the benignant of tech gatekeeper Republicans person been looking for. As a self-proclaimed escaped code absolutist, he’s relaxed oregon removed galore of Twitter’s contented moderation guardrails, actions conservatives person welcomed aft years of chafing nether what they alleged was censorship by the large platforms. And with each feud that Musk engineers — with wide leaders, different tech companies, “cancel culture” — helium draws himself person to his caller fans connected the right.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the expected incoming speaker, defended Musk against President Joe Biden’s telephone for a national information reappraisal of overseas investors’ relation successful Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. “That is violative to me. The government’s going to spell aft idiosyncratic who wants to person escaped speech?” he told reporters astatine the White House connected Tuesday. “I deliberation they should halt picking connected Elon Musk.”
Longtime tech manufacture analysts person been shocked by Musk’s cavalier clasp of politics. It’s an arena astir tech CEOs effort to “take large pains” to region themselves from, said Nu Wexler, who worked successful argumentation communications astatine Twitter, Google and Facebook arsenic good arsenic for Democrats successful Congress.
“Social media executives person spent the past 5 oregon 10 years tip-toeing astir the governmental swimming pool; it’s comic to ticker the caller feline conscionable bash a belly-flop consecutive into it,” Wexler added.
Most of Twitter’s media squad was portion of Musk’s company-wide layoffs, and didn’t respond to a petition for comment.
For now, Musk’s theatrics aren’t netting him tangible wins connected regulatory oregon legislative issues. But helium is capable to whip up GOP rhetorical enactment with a fistful of tweets, arsenic helium did this week erstwhile helium accused Apple of threatening to footwear Twitter disconnected its App Store, earlier abruptly retracting his accusations arsenic a “misunderstanding” aft gathering with Tim Cook. Cook told reporters connected Thursday nighttime astatine the White House authorities meal that his gathering with Musk was “very good.”
In the hours aft Musk made his archetypal allegations, DeSantis joined Republican lawmakers including Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado successful lining up down the caller Twitter CEO. Several of them renewed calls to walk an antitrust measure that would dramatically curtail Apple’s power implicit what apps are allowed connected the iPhone.
For each their fiery words, nary person has publically changed their presumption connected the antitrust bills aft Musk’s tirade, which has remained stalled successful Congress amid absorption from cardinal lawmakers. And his speedy retraction and declaration of harmony mightiness marque those threats to punish Apple look a small hasty.
However, Wexler said Musk whitethorn yet sway immoderate undecideds successful Congress. “Musk mightiness beryllium capable to propulsion immoderate Republicans implicit to enactment the contention bills,” helium said.
If thing else, Musk demonstrated however rapidly the GOP would rally to his cause, peculiarly erstwhile helium was taking purpose astatine a blimpish bogeyman similar Apple. Republicans person borne a grudge against the institution ever since it — on with Google — banned the conservative-friendly media app Parler aft the pro-Trump insurrection astatine the U.S. Capitol successful January 2021. More recently, Republicans person slammed Apple for limiting the airdrop sharing feature connected iPhones successful China up of the Covid-19 lockdown protests successful that country.
“Right now, it looks similar Republicans mightiness spell a small easier connected Twitter due to the fact that they similar decisions that Musk is making,” said different tech manufacture executive, who asked not to beryllium identified truthful they could talk freely.
Future Proofing
Tech argumentation observers accidental Musk’s GOP allyship could perchance payment him, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to defending the tech industries’ coveted liability shield known arsenic Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — which Republicans person said they privation to rotation backmost adjacent year.
Trump and Biden person both called for removing the statute, which protects online companies from being sued implicit their decisions to host, region oregon filter contented posted by users. Some Republicans person projected paring backmost the shield, for illustration by allowing suits against companies that amusement governmental bias successful making contented decisions. Democrats, meanwhile, person called for holding tech companies liable for extremist content, hatred code and misinformation.
“If Elon is capable to explicate Section 230 protections to legislature Republicans and a blimpish assemblage successful a mode that they recognize and hold with, I deliberation that could beryllium precise adjuvant to Twitter and to the industry,” Wexler said.
On the different side, immoderate progressive Democrats — specified arsenic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — person been speedy to onslaught Musk’s latest antics, including his missteps and mendacious starts trying to transportation radical to wage for Twitter’s formerly escaped account-verification system.
“Lmao astatine a billionaire earnestly trying to merchantability radical connected the thought that ‘free speech’ is really a $8/mo subscription plan,” she tweeted successful aboriginal November erstwhile Musk rolled retired a botched effort astatine the paid subscription work — dubbed Twitter Blue — which led to a surge successful fake accounts mimicking politicians and brands. She also criticized Musk’s reinstatement of Trump aft the erstwhile president’s relation successful the Jan. 6 insurrection connected the Capitol.
“Musk is progressively entering the governmental arena, which means he’s going to beryllium engaged successful much governmental combat,” said Alex Conant, a GOP advisor and spouse astatine nationalist affairs steadfast Firehouse Strategies. “I would expect if he’s going to enactment Republicans, helium should expect Democrats to summation their scrutiny of him.”
As Musk stepped deeper into politics, helium had said it was due to the fact that helium favored divided authorities — a manifesto helium tweeted the time earlier the midterms — arguing that “shared powerfulness curbs the worst excesses of some parties, truthful I urge voting for a Republican Congress, fixed that the Presidency is Democratic.”
And aboriginal successful his endorsement of DeSantis, helium said helium preferred a 2024 campaigner who is “sensible and centrist.” He tweeted that he’d hoped that would beryllium true for the Biden administration, but he’s “been disappointed truthful far.”
“He endorsed divided authorities successful the midterms, helium seems to beryllium consistently pushing for much centrist candidates and bipartisan control,” Conant said.
So far, astatine slightest according to Musk’s metrics, his foray into authorities — and his welcoming backmost of right-wing users similar Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — has been bully for business, reportedly driving caller idiosyncratic sign-ups and engagement to an all-time high.
“Musk is astir apt seeing thing successful the information that gives him anticipation oregon encouragement to proceed connected the people that he’s going,” said Eric Wilson, a managing spouse astatine blimpish concern money Startup Caucus. “We’re respective weeks into it, helium would’ve pivoted retired if it weren’t working.”
Musk hasn’t shied distant from dramatically remaking Twitter since helium bought it for $44 cardinal a period ago. He’s slashed two-thirds of staff, driven distant astatine slightest 50 of its apical 100 advertisers, drawn a informing changeable from the Federal Trade Commission and rolled backmost Twitter’s Covid-19 misinformation policies — among different large changes to the site.
And it’s wide to extracurricular observers that he’s not pursuing immoderate accepted playbook. “It does onslaught maine that the strategy seems to beryllium — propulsion spaghetti connected the partition and spot what sticks,” Wilson said.
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