# X Might Show to Be Price Extra Than $44B to Musk and His Firms

A lot has been manufactured from Elon Musk “throwing away” $44 billion on Twitter, as the corporate’s income and utilization has continued its regular decline. However that will miss a important aspect of Musk‘s considering, and the worth that the platform really gives for himself, and his firms.  

As a result of whereas Musk would, after all, like to imagine that he’s the most effective enterprise operator on this planet, and that he could make a viable enterprise out of something, his logic behind shopping for the platform is definitely extra seeded in political affect, versus working X itself. And that might nonetheless show to be price much more to him than the $44 billion price ticket.

The seeds for Musk’s eventual buy of Twitter can really be traced again to this trade in 2020:

Musk has since deleted the tweet, however this submit, revealed two years earlier than Elon began shopping for up Twitter inventory, which finally led to his buy of the app, factors to the logic in why he sees such worth within the firm.

The tweet above is in reference to a political coup in Bolivia, which led to the ousting of then Bolivian President Evo Morales. Rumors have lengthy instructed that the U.S. was concerned within the coup, with American authorities reportedly looking for to achieve management over the nation’s lithium assets, and hold it out of the arms of Russia and China.

Bolivia has the most important lithium reserves on this planet, and in recent times, demand for lithium has skyrocketed following the expansion in electrical car manufacturing. Which, after all, immediately hyperlinks to Tesla, and Musk’s assertion basically factors to the truth that the Bolivian coup resulted in additional favorable lithium entry for his firms.

And the way was the Bolivian coup organized and amplified?

In response to The Morning Star:

“Tens of 1000’s of pretend Twitter accounts had been created to help the navy coup towards Bolivia’s elected president Evo Morales, a brand new research suggests. Over 68,000 false accounts had been set as much as attempt to legitimize the military’s overthrow of Mr Morales following his re-election final month and to justify the massacres of protesters towards the coup which have adopted.”

The suggestion is that U.S. operatives basically weaponized Twitter to gasoline dissent, and drive the overthrow of the nation’s elected chief.

And given his vested curiosity, Elon had a entrance row seat.

It’s this energy that woke up Musk to the potential of Twitter to sway voters, and wield monumental political affect. That’s the motivator that led to Musk shopping for the platform, and re-aligning its moderation pointers round “free speech”, as a result of Musk noticed a possibility to shift political sentiment in relation to his pursuits, and finally win for his initiatives.

It’s not about defending humanity or freedom of speech or any of the opposite philosophical virtues that Musk has instructed in his numerous feedback in regards to the app. Musk sees Twitter, now X, as a method to stress governments to offer his firms extra favorable therapy. And that’s turning into extra evident in his numerous dealings.

For instance, Elon not too long ago opposed a Brazilian courtroom order to droop the profiles of customers who’ve continued to perpetuate the lie that the 2022 Brazilian election was “stolen,” which led to the ouster of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro was a Musk ally, and was eager to arrange favorable lithium offers for Tesla, and his election loss meant that Musk misplaced that chance. So Musk is against the present Brazilian authorities, who’re much less inclined to comply with the identical offers and situations.

So within the spirit of changing whoever doesn’t go together with his plans, Musk has made a present of demonstrating how corrupt Brazil’s management is, as a part of a play to swell dissent, and ideally get them voted out on the subsequent election.

Once more, it’s the very same playbook Musk noticed play out in Bolivia, however he’s now making an attempt to steer it himself, in an effort to derive optimum profit for his pursuits.

However Elon stated that his opposition to the Brazilian order was about upholding the legislation, and defending free speech, proper?

Nicely apparently, he wasn’t as eager to make a stand towards comparable requests from authorities in Turkey, India or Germany, which every has its personal function to play in Musk’s expanded enterprise empire.

Tesla’s at present working in the direction of the institution of recent distribution agreements in India, which might make it a beneficial new marketplace for the corporate, Musk has a relationship with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, and has mentioned alternatives for each Tesla and Starlink within the area, whereas Tesla’s key European manufacturing unit is in Berlin.

Coincidentally, Musk hasn’t opposed any elimination orders from these nations which have been put to X, regardless of them being just about the identical as these filed by Brazilian officers.

Musk has, nonetheless, criticized Australian authorities. Tesla has repeatedly pointed to Australian Authorities pink tape as a key obstacle to its improvement within the nation.

Musk has additionally criticized the U.Ok. Authorities. Tesla’s been lobbying for the U.Ok. authorities to lift taxes on petrol and diesel automobiles, in an effort to gasoline greater subsidies for electrical automobiles.

The pattern right here is pretty clear, Musk is trying to make use of his presence on X, and his broader affect over the platform’s algorithms, to stir dissent towards governments that he feels are in his approach.

Which, after all, additionally extends to U.S. politics.

Truthfully, I don’t assume that Elon Musk believes even half of the issues that he posts about U.S. political points, or feels passionately about them a method or one other. But when Trump’s re-elected in November, it’s assured that Musk will get a direct line to the White Home. That’ll allow him to shake off regulatory restrictions, safe authorities subsidies, sway favorable insurance policies and extra.

A Trump victory would successfully enshrine Musk’s political affect, and you’ll wager that he’d then be pitching that very same help to each opposition occasion in each area the place he appears like he can achieve a bonus by means of comparable enter.

You wish to win on the polls, you comply with easing restrictions on Musk’s initiatives, and he’ll provide the full energy of his affect on X.

Musk controls all of the algorithms, all of the methods, he can amplify and supress no matter he likes. And that’s highly effective, even when X does now have fewer customers.

So whereas Elon is seemingly shedding cash on X, and will seem like “setting fireplace” to that preliminary $44 billion funding, it may really be price considerably extra to Musk, and his firms, if he does wield the extent of affect that he thinks.

The advantages that Tesla, SpaceX, and his different initiatives may glean from modifications in authorities insurance policies may effectively exceed that preliminary outlay, so whereas it might appear to be Musk is working X into the bottom, the ends might finally justify the means.