This week, Twitter misplaced not one however two executives that had been answerable for belief and security on the platform, each of whom had been vocal supporters of Elon’s ‘free speech’ reformation. The departures got here on account of Musk overruling of the Twitter staff’s resolution to prohibit the promotion of a documentary about gender transition, and the rising ‘gender ideology motion’.

As per numerous studies, Twitter had initially provided to host an unique premiere of the documentary, titled ‘What’s a Girl?’, which would come with paid promotion of the undertaking. However after reviewing the content material of the video, Twitter’s belief and security execs opted to again away from the deal, as a result of issues that it might be considered as hate speech primarily based, particularly, on its content material round misgendering.

Elon Musk has been a vocal critic of gender affirmation, and specifically, of gender transition surgical procedure for kids. And after he was immediately questioned about Twitter’s resolution to distance itself from the documentary, Musk then stepped in to overrule the staff’s strategy, and implement extra lax guidelines across the identical.

Not solely that, however Musk additionally retweeted the documentary to his 141 million followers, and pinned it to the highest of his profile for optimum publicity.

The forwards and backwards seemingly precipitated a big rift inside Twitter’s model security staff, and each Ella Irwin, the top of belief and security on the platform, and AJ Brown, the chief of brand name security, have since each left the corporate.

Irwin, specifically, had develop into a key spokeperson for Twitter 2.0, as Musk’s adjustments prompted angst and concern amongst advert companions. Irwin was tasked with reassuring manufacturers, and sustaining advertiser belief – however with Twitter advert income declining by 50% because the takeover, clearly, Irwin was already dealing with an uphill battle.

As Musk continues to reform the principles primarily based on his personal private ideology, whereas additionally overseeing the reinstatement of former customers that had been banned for spreading hate speech, misinformation, and worse, the problem earlier than Twitter’s model security staff clearly stays vital, and these newest departures will do little to calm already involved organizations.

Add to this the truth that Twitter is now forcing manufacturers to pay for Twitter Blue to even promote within the app, and it does seem to be a tough promote, so it’s no massive shock to see much more Twitter execs depart.

So what does that imply for model security on the platform?

Properly, it’s clearly not a superb factor. Each Irwin and Brown had been skilled operators, that had been with Twitter for a while, and the lack of their experience can be felt as the corporate continues to be re-shaped in Musk’s picture.

Then once more, with new Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino coming in shortly, perhaps a shake-up was on the playing cards both method – although this may also add to Yaccarino’s problem in reassuring advert companions that Musk’s new method ahead for the app is a constructive step, and won’t improve the danger of adverse publicity.

The out there proof across the rise, or not, of hate speech within the app stays inconclusive, with exterior studies suggesting that hate speech is on the rise through tweet, whereas Musk and his staff say that it’s diminished. Quite a lot of that comes all the way down to the methodology utilized – however the truth that Twitter retains shedding the employees answerable for representing it on this aspect does appear to point that even they aren’t assured that it’s taking the best motion on this entrance.

Actually, every model should make its personal resolution on the potential dangers. However the indicators, I might say, will not be nice, relying in your view of Elon’s strategy.