![]() The request asked for names, addresses, voting history and the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers. Kobach, the vice chairman of the commission, sent letters to each state and Washington, D.C., asking for voters’ personal information. ![]() Let's hope he doesn't destroy the thing he purports to love – but I'm not getting my hopes up.A growing number of states have rejected a request for personal information about voters from a presidential commission on vote fraud led by Kansas’ controversial Secretary of State Kris Kobach. I think it's fair to say that Twitter cannot thrive in its current form (its growth is slow-to-static), but if Musk isn't careful, and tries to fix what he believes is an unfair moderation policy but opening the doors to people who deserved to be banned, he won't get a chance to try any of his more ambitious strategies. That's a lot of water for Twitter to carry, and it's not something I expect Musk to try right away – or perhaps I'm recommending that Musk doesn't try this right away. Earlier this year, Musk told Twitter employees that he wants Twitter to be more like a super-app that combines social media, payments, gaming, ride-hailing, and, I'm guessing, much more. In China, these platforms do far more than just host communities and chats. Maybe Musk will go ahead with his goal of making Twitter the Weibo or WeChat of US social media. Of course, if he asks everyone who tweets to pay a subscription fee, the platform will implode faster than you can spark a Twitter fight by insisting that a tomato is a fruit. Or maybe he does, and, perhaps, his efforts will focus on the financial health of Twitter – he's shown interest in monetizing more portions of the platform. The apparent removal of Twitter Policy Head Gadde is beyond worrisome and could lead to some incredibly damaging decisions. It's still not clear that Musk truly understands that. But incendiary and dangerous voices, ones who might want to use the still-formidable platform to spread hate and incite violence, cannot exist on the platform. Sure, there's something to be said for opening the doors of Twitter to all voices and points of view. If, for instance, Musk invites former US President Donald Trump back onto the platform because he believes Trump was unfairly banned (he was not), it will backfire in the most spectacular way. The apparent removal of Twitter Policy Head Gadde is beyond worrisome, and could lead to some incredibly damaging decisions. I can tell you that in his effort to somehow improve humanity, Musk stands a very real possibility of harming it – by, for instance, reopening Twitter to people and voices who serve no purpose but to do just that. The problem is that, even as Musk takes control, he admits his lofty goals could very well fail. ![]() Perhaps Musk should focus on smaller goals, like a safe environment, better tools, and consistent growth. It's had moments where it helped inspire people, and has even triggered mass movements like the Arab Spring, but those days are long in the past. Twitter is unlikely to serve that role, especially if the past is any indication. I mean, wouldn't we all like to help humanity in our own way? Musk's broadly stated goal "to try and help humanity," sounds, I guess, okay, if a bit vague. I asked him on Twitter to define "good times." He did not respond. Later he tweeted, "let the good times roll" with some musical symbols. Subsequent tweets have offered less clarity: "the bird is free," Musk tweeted early Friday morning at approximately midnight, when, I have to assume, his ownership became official. While there, he chatted up employees and enthused in another Tweet, "Meeting a lot of cool people at Twitter today!" One must assume that CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and Head of Policy Vijaya Gadde, all of whom were reportedly shown the door, are not among those "cool people."
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