TED 2022 — A future worth getting excited about
About this appearance
Just days after making his Twitter offer public, Musk appeared at TED 2022 in Vancouver for a wide-ranging conversation that was dominated by the Twitter acquisition rationale. He argued the platform had failed its free-speech mission and needed new ownership committed to algorithmic transparency and open moderation. He also covered Starship's path to full orbital operations, Neuralink's upcoming human trials, and Tesla's energy business as his most underappreciated venture. It was the first major interview after the Twitter offer and set the narrative for the entire acquisition story.
Topics
Memorable moments
States his intention to acquire Twitter and make its algorithm open source — 'I think it's very important that people have both the reality and the perception that they are able to speak freely.'
Proposes that the 'edit button' Twitter users want is less important than making moderation decisions fully transparent and appealable.
When asked if he'd sell Tesla to fund the Twitter deal: 'I will do what it takes.' Subsequently liquidated billions in Tesla shares.
