It looks like Elon Musk hasn’t just been shaking things up on X (formerly Twitter); he’s been texting Reddit’s CEO too. After being furious about Reddit users banning links to X and accusing him of making a Nazi salute, Musk reportedly messaged Reddit CEO Steve Huffman directly — and the result was Reddit temporarily banning the “WhitePeopleTwitter” subreddit. The move raised eyebrows among moderators and the tech community. While Reddit says it enforces rules equally no matter where complaints come from, many are now wondering just how much power a billionaire CEO can wield—especially behind the scenes. As one mod put it, “He should not be able to influence Reddit, but if what he calls out is death threats then of course they need to come down.” Still, the optics are tricky: is Musk acting out of genuine concern or just using his weight to shape the narrative?

Key Points:

• Elon Musk publicly criticized Reddit after subreddits started banning links to X and accused him of making a Nazi-style gesture.
• He also privately texted Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, according to sources.
• Soon after, Reddit imposed a 72-hour ban on the “WhitePeopleTwitter” subreddit due to “prevalence of violent content” — including a thread Musk had pointed out.
• Reddit deleted the thread that Musk flagged, even though many of the comments didn't contain violent speech.
• A Reddit spokesperson stated: “We take any report of Reddit policy violations seriously… and take action if violating.”
• Musk did not respond to requests for comment.
• Reddit moderators, chatting on Discord, expressed concern over Musk’s influence, with one calling him a “giant baby” and another saying, “It’s problematic that he’s able to exert influence on both public and private institutions.”
• The incident underscores broader concerns over how powerful tech CEOs are handling content moderation—and whether their private influence sets dangerous precedents.

Elsewhere in the newsletter:

• OpenAI’s revamped ChatGPT image tools are raising red flags about how freely AI can use public figures and brand likenesses—a sign the AI industry might be in its Wild West era.
• TikTok’s ad chief Blake Chandlee is leaving, and the company’s restructuring is raising questions ahead of a potential U.S. ban.
• 23andMe filed for bankruptcy.
• WWDC keynote from Apple is scheduled for June 9.
• Google dropped a surprise Gemini update, possibly to steal buzz from OpenAI.
• OpenAI made key leadership moves: Mark Chen is now Chief Research Officer, and COO Brad Lightcap is taking over day-to-day operations.
• More tech executive shakeups: Samsung has a new sole CEO, Meta’s longtime Asia Pacific leader Dan Neary is stepping down, and X lost its head of engineering and product.

This update first ran in The Verge’s Command Line newsletter. For more stories like this, subscribe at theverge.com.
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