The unchanging quality of Twitter posts has been a feature of the platform since its release in 2006, despite repeated requests for change, albeit in silence. Shortly after revealing his share of the platform to regulators, Musk, who has amassed more than 80 million followers since joining in 2009, posted a poll asking if users wanted an edit button. Shares of the platform rose by a quarter after it was revealed that it had bought a 9.2% stake, which means that its investment immediately gained more than it has ever posted on Twitter. It is not clear whether the poll was a genuine request for comment on politics or just a joke. Poll choices – “yse” and “on” – were typographical errors for “yes” and “no”. By the time it was published, almost three-quarters of the 2.4 million respondents had voted “YSE”. New Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal quoted the post as saying, “The consequences of this poll will be significant. Vote carefully.” It is not clear if he was serious. Musk’s investment followed criticism of Twitter’s approach to free speech, claiming it was seriously considering setting up a new social networking platform. His stake is considered a passive investment, signaling that he has no claims on most of the company – although analysts have warned that it could eventually lead to Musk becoming more involved in running the business. Musk’s use of Twitter has caused him trouble in the past. He is embroiled in a legal battle to free himself from the restrictions of an agreement he made with US regulators in 2018, an agreement that forces him to pre-approve his Tesla tweets by a lawyer to avoid violating the rules on market revelation -sensitive information. The billionaire had signed an agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after claiming, in a tweet, that he had secured financing to get the company private at $ 420 (32 325) per share. But the billionaire now claims he was forced to sign the deal, formally known as the Consent Decree, because of “relentless regulatory pressure from the SEC,” according to a court. Musk’s legal team has accused the body of trying to restrict its right to freedom of speech.
