Forty four billion dollars (41 billion euros)! This is the price paid by Elon Musk to buy Twitter. The richest man in the world offers himself one of the most important social networks. An announcement that caused a lot of reaction from the students of the Emile-Zola college in Igny, in Essonne.
To answer their questions, we interviewed Olivier Lascar, journalist and editor-in-chief of the digital division of Science et Avenir. It publishes on June 9 Investigation of Elon Musk, the man who defies science (Alisio Sciences).
Does Elon Musk buy Twitter to promote freedom of expression on the social network?
Elon Musk said it in the past, Twitter “goes too far” and “intervenes too much” on its platform, hence this question from Sharon: “If we believe the media, Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter to promote freedom of expression, is this true?“
As a reminder, in his press release announcing the takeover of Twitter, Elon Musk indicated that “freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital public square where issues vital to the future of humanity are debated.” This is also what Olivier Lascar observed, explaining that for Elon Musk, “there are too many rules on Twitter that limit speech and he wants to do without moderation rules so that everyone can say what they want to say without being hindered.“
But Olivier Lascar fears that “can cause many problems.” The journalist explains that by removing all moderation, we would let circulate what we see regularly on social networks, that is to say “very negative words, hatred, sometimes racist as well as false information“.
Finally Olivier Lascar explains that there are other reasons which explain this takeover. First “because Elon Musk can afford it and he loves this social network“and then because he wants to become”the boss of a very important digital platform for politicians, journalists and media people in general.“Thus thanks to this acquisition”Elon Musk becomes a man of influence, he can thus get closer to the people who make the laws and who will perhaps allow him to develop his companies as he wishes.“analyzes Olivier Lascar.
Does Elon Musk want to develop space tourism?
Arthur wonders if Elon Musk”is really developing space tourism and if it is the only one doing it?“
According to Olivier Lascar, the new owner of Twitter rather plans to “colonize space and more particularly the planet Mars.” The author ofInvestigation about Elon Musk, the man who defies science explain that “Elon Musk’s space project is at the center of everything because it is his dream to ensure that humanity can one day settle on other planets than Earth.“Olivier Lascar clarifies that Elon Musk’s idea is to use a Space X rocket,”called Starship, to go to Mars and set up cities there.” Olivier Lascar recalls that it is “a dream extremely criticized because it is not plausible.“
Regarding space tourism, the journalist explains that “other businessmen want to do it and allow very rich people to visit space“. For example, Jeff Bezos “has developed his private space company called Blue Origin which flies people just above the earth’s atmosphere, at a time when they are indeed in space.“
Has Eslon Musk been accused of abusing monkeys?
Arthur wonders ifthe accusations against Elon Musk of abusing monkeys are well founded?“
Olivier Lascar confirms these accusations by specifying that it is “an Elon Musk company that is targeted, Neuralink“. This is a company with which “Elon Musk wants to develop brain implants“explains the journalist, “that is to say kinds of electronic chips to put in the brain and which will allow, perhaps one day, to control computers by thought.”
Olivier Lascar reminds us that this concept is not new, because “for years similar devices have been studied as ccerebral implants tested to treat Parkinson’s disease by controlling tremors.“
Except that Elon Musk wants these implants to serve too “for healthy people to for example have fun and play video games by thought.“But before that, Elon Musk does tests on animals, monkeys or pigs and”animal welfare association“, explains Olivier Lascar, “revealed a few months ago that the monkeys, on which these experiments had been made, had been mistreated and that some of them had died in great suffering.“