Elon Musk Says He’s ‘Fixing’ Certain Words That Allegedly Demonetize Posts After Right-Wing Users Complain

Topline

Right-wing X users, including Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik, alleged certain words—like trans, LGBTQ and drag queen—would demonetize posts by automatically blocking ads from showing up in the replies, catching the attention of Elon Musk, who says he’s fixing the apparent issue.

Key Facts

Key Background

Musk has long stated his goal is to make X, formerly known as Twitter, a haven for free speech. Musk, who considers himself a “free speech absolutist,” has said he purchased the social media platform to create a forum where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.” Under his leadership, X has adopted a “freedom of speech, not reach” policy, by which posts that violate the platform’s rules may have their reach limited, but will not be taken down. Since Musk—who frequently uses X for political purposes, like criticizing “wokeness”—took over the platform, some studies have indicated hate speech has risen on the social media site. Right-wing users, like Raichik, have praised Musk’s leadership and thanked him for prioritizing free speech. After Musk said he would fix words that allegedly demonetized posts, Raichik called him the “greatest free speech warrior in modern history,” praising him for being responsive to the issues she raised.

Chief Critics

Critics say Musk’s actions have contradicted his purported free speech goals. In December, the accounts of several journalists who wrote about Musk were abruptly suspended, along with the account of rival social media platform Mastodon, and he accused them of sharing information about his whereabouts (the accounts were soon reinstated). Jewish leaders have also accused Musk of enabling antisemitism on the platform, such as by reinstating previously banned accounts associated with neo-Nazi and antisemitic movements, though Musk has denied X has an antisemitism problem.

Tangent

Some right-wing users have complained of demonetization on platforms like YouTube and have generally gravitated toward sites that tout their so-called free speech policies, like X and Rumble. YouTube most recently came under fire from some conservatives after it demonetized Russell Brand’s channel amid his sexual assault allegations. Rumble slammed a request from British lawmakers to demonetize Brand, who has recently endeared himself to the far-right by promoting baseless conspiracy theories surrounding Covid and the 2020 presidential election results, as a “disturbing” demand from the “cancel culture mob.” YouTube also demonetized right-wing personality Matt Walsh in April, reportedly because of disparaging comments and rants made against trans social media star Dylan Mulvaney following her brief partnership with Bud Light, which the social media platform said violated its Partner Program policies.

Surprising Fact

Musk declared in a June post that “cisgender”—a term for people who identify with their assigned sex at birth—would be treated as a slur on X, and repeated harassment using the word would result in, at minimum, temporary suspensions.

Forbes Valuation

$252.6 billion. That’s Musk’s estimated net worth as of Friday afternoon, making him the richest person in the world.

Further Reading

X officially rolls out its ads revenue sharing program for creators (The Verge)

Elon Musk, Self-Proclaimed “Free Speech Absolutist,” Says Twitter Will Treat “Cisgender” as a Slur (Vanity Fair)