Musk's Gobbling Up Twitter Favors China, Jeff Bezos Warns

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has cut a deal with Twitter to buy the social media platform for $44 billion (£34.8 billion). Following a dramatic two-week long takeover try, Musk’s offer to buy the firm prevailed, with Musk promising to unlock the “tremendous potential” that Twitter has, Antony Ashkenaz reported for UK’s Daily Express.

Photo Insert: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are competitors in the space industry.

This change in ownership has caused several parties to raise alarm bells, ranging from politicians to hate speech activists. However, one of the prominent critics of the takeover was Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, who commented on the influence China could have on Musk and Twitter.

The former richest man tweeted: “Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square?” Actress Cate Blanchett Jordan Moreau of Variety that Musk’s Twitter takeover “is dangerous. That’s all I have to say, it’s very, very dangerous.”

While Twitter is blocked in China, Musk’s Tesla is heavily dependent on the country for its battery manufacturing capabilities, even having a Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai. China is also the largest market for Tesla vehicles after the US.

These factors suggest Xi Jinping could attempt to use Musk’s interests in China to influence how Twitter operates, potentially hamstringing his bid to make the site a hub for free speech.

When asked about Bezos’ comments, Wang Wenbin, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said in a press briefing that there was no basis for claims that Beijing would seek to use the Twitter takeover to influence the social media platform.

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are competitors in the space industry, with Mr. Bezos' space company Blue Origin looking to rival Musk's SpaceX.

Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has caused both the EU and the UK to issue warnings that the site must remain “responsible” and comply with new laws designed to protect users.

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