Elon Musk’s grip on Twitter—now rebranded as X—has been anything but smooth sailing, and WIRED’s latest piece, Inside Elon Musk’s ‘Digital Coup’, dives deep into the chaos and control that define his tenure. The article explores how Musk transformed the platform into a battleground for his own ideologies, ousting executives, reinstating controversial bans, and making erratic decisions that left employees scrambling. The piece argues that Musk’s actions amount to a “digital coup,” shifting Twitter’s role in democracy and free speech toward an unpredictable, Musk-centric vision. From his embrace of controversial figures to his attempts at rewriting Twitter’s algorithm, WIRED paints a picture of a billionaire helming what was once a cornerstone of online discourse—only to bend it to his personal whims.

Key Points:

• Musk’s Vision & Takeover: Musk’s acquisition of Twitter was touted as a fight for “free speech,” but WIRED argues it has been more about his speech. Decisions, like reversing bans on previously suspended accounts, have reshaped the platform’s landscape.
• Internal Chaos: After firing key executives and thousands of employees, Musk moved quickly to change Twitter’s AI algorithms and content moderation systems. WIRED describes these actions as a “digital coup” that sidelined prior leadership and disrupted Twitter’s stability.
• Misinformation & Extremism: The article highlights Musk’s reinstatement of previously banned figures, leading some to fear that Twitter has become a haven for misinformation and radical voices.
• Financial Struggles: Poor ad revenue, hastily launched paid verification systems, and declining trust in X raise questions about the platform’s sustainability.
• Elon & AI Ambitions: Musk has tied X into his growing AI empire—WIRED suggests that part of his motivation in buying Twitter was gaining access to massive amounts of training data for AI ventures like xAI and Grok.
• Final Takeaway: The article portrays Musk as less of a visionary democratizing speech, and more of a CEO molding a public platform into a personal megaphone—blurring the lines between billionaire influence and the digital public square.

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