Elon Musk hasn’t tweeted about his new Twitter engagement, which seems a bit ironic for an avid tweeter.

Perhaps it was seen as the 9.2% stake he now owns. passive participationAlthough those who know Musk do not expect him to stay like this for long.

His first move was to throw questionnaireasked if people wanted an edit button, something overdue, and maybe something he personally needed (Twitter confirmed Tuesday that it’s working on an edit option).

New announcement to attend directory Twitter did not come as a surprise.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal said in a tweet, “Thanks to the conversations we’ve had with Elon over the last few weeks, great value To our board.

“As a passionate believer and intense criticThe service is “exactly what we need”.

Musk later responded by saying he was willing to make improvements. colossal your social networks.

Musk’s 9.2% stake in the company social media It may seem small, but analyst Dan Ives of the firm Wedbush describes it as “mind-blowing,” which equates to 73.5 million shares on the social network.

this actions on the platform It soared after the Tesla founder was announced on Monday as the company’s largest shareholder, meaning the stock’s value has already risen and is now more than $3 billion.

Musk’s stake four times larger More so than Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, who stepped down as CEO in November.

Ives thinks the South African businessman has now found his eyes.”laser poles» Your meaningful engagement on Twitter will see you play an active role in running the company.

“This passive engagement will ultimately be a problem with Twitter’s board and management. active participation and Twitter’s potentially more aggressive ownership role,” he said.

When Elon Musk has an idea, he usually takes to Twitter to express it.

Musk has some kind of relationship love and hate with Twitter. He’s a frequent tweeter, with over 80 million followers, and is no stranger to controversy in his interactions on the social networking site.

The platform seems to fit his impulsive personality: last year he asked if he would sell 10% of his shares in his joint stock company. tesla electric cars, which Twitter users answered yes. This resulted in Musk selling about $5 billion worth of company stock in November.

He had offered to sign a check for US dollars months ago.6 billion After a statement by the head of the UN program, the World Food Program (WFP) had explained how it would be used to solve world hunger.

But tweeting also got him in trouble. A 2018 post about Tesla stock sparked an investigation by the US. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC for its English acronym) the United States, which ended an agreement for the company’s lawyers to pre-approve certain tweets. It is unclear whether this actually happened.

Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal reported that it shared Twitter files with the SEC; this would normally include a line saying it has no rights. intent to influence They came with a sign at the company that said “Not applicable”.

The timing of the deal has also raised questions and could put Musk back in conflict with financial regulators.

His investment on Twitter was presented on March 14 but not disclosed until this week. US securities law requires disclosure within 10 days of purchasing 5% of a company.

Freedom of expression

Musk uses Twitter not only as an indicator of how he runs his own companies, but also, increasingly, to gauge the temperature of the nation.

Last month, after registering your investment with the SEC, but before you shareholding When made public, it asked users if they believed freedom of expression was essential to the functioning of democracy and whether Twitter adhered to that principle.

Cornell University Assistant Professor Alexandra Cirone believes this is proof that she can use her newfound involvement “to try to influence Twitter apps” and “for something.”most active game in the social media ecosystem.

But others see more pressing issues with its repercussions.

Howard Fischer, a partner at law firm Moses & Singer, told Reuters these questions could be seen as a problem as he has already bought a stake on Twitter. form of market manipulation. “I suspect the SEC will take a hard look at whether they can file tampering charges with failure to file,” he said.

Agrawal is clearly watching everything movements. In response to its edit button poll, which now has 2.6 million responses, it urged voters to do so “with caution.”

“The results of this survey are going to be important,” he said, repeating the words Musk used after starting his survey. Freedom of expression from Twitter.

Jack Dorsey had always rejected the idea, and critics They point out that it could allow people to fundamentally change the meaning of tweets after they’ve been shared.

It would be a big change if Twitter made an addition. edit buttonand Musk is interested in being a part of that conversation.

Some time last month, Musk seemed intent on launching a new social media platform to rival Twitter, and there’s precedent for another prolific and controversial tweeter out there.

Banned from using Twitter following the unrest on Capitol Hill in January 2021, Donald Trump announced last fall that he would launch his own social network, Truth Social, to “stand up to the tyranny of big tech”.

But six weeks after its launch, there’s a waiting list of 1.5 million people who can’t use it, and Joshua Tucker, the company’s director. Social Networks and Policy Center New York University described the platform as a disaster.

According to Reuters, two key executives resigned after the troubled launch.

For those who own many shares Other businesses Musk (Space X, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company) will undoubtedly breathe a sigh of relief when he learns that he is not following the same path as Trump.

But it will also anxiety You have another exciting project that will distract you from serious work like managing your established companies.

Not to mention the problems that may arise with his contract. excitement by the SEC.

Social media expert Casey Newton points out that this isn’t the first time a major tech company has taken a look at Twitter. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer once participation 4% of the company writes “and did essentially nothing with it”.

But he goes on to say that Ballmer never tweeted like Musk: “Cheerfully, angrily, constantly.”

And most likely from this account excitement Let Musk announce to the world what he plans to do next.