"Elon Musk Buys Substack" Might Be a Future Headline
While criticizing the "corporate media," Musk made a surprising statement about buying the hottest publishing platform on the planet. Will Sir Elon the Bold protect our fair Substack from Censors?
As freedom of speech hangs in the balance, supporters of the 1st Amendment are looking for a knight in shining armor to ride in and save America from totalitarianism.
Elon Musk has undoubtedly become a popular figure. He is arguably the current face of the liberty counterculture—something NOBODY saw coming a year ago (or before his first bid on Twitter.)
His purchase of Twitter propelled him to the forefront of the current war between censorship and free speech. These 21st-century information battles hit a nadir in the 2020 election. Not everyone trusts Musk, but many do (cautiously.) Those who oppose Big Tech manipulation cheer on Musk’s Twitter revamp. He’s providing people feeling powerless a sense of hope, although some are skeptical of his motives.
Musk Throws Shade on the News Matrix and is Open to Buying Substack!
On Tuesday, Musk slammed what I call the Media Matrix (MM)™—he called it “corporate journalism” (which is also a fair and accurate label)—in this tweet:
The “Twitter Files” is a series of investigative reports published directly on Twitter. The pieces are full of juicy internal company emails showing evidence of Twitter’s direct collaboration with the FBI in suppressing users’ 1st Amendment rights on the formerly woke platform.
Could Musk One Day Own Substack?
If you are reading this, you don’t need to be convinced that Substack is an incredible platform for independent journalists and writers.
A few weeks ago, a terrible thought crossed my mind: what if Substack keeps growing and eventually gets sold to someone who doesn’t value free expression, and they change the rules and completely mess up this beautiful platform?
That would be awful.
Unless… Someone like Elon Musk bought Substack…
Below Musk’s tweet above, someone posed that idea. Musk replied, “I’m open to the idea.”
Here is the original article that Musk retweeted:
Substack is an excellent platform. Around 2016 or so, I was talking with a successful blogger, and we were pining for the “good old days” before social media when blogs were king—when people visited your site, left lots of comments, and opened your emails. I would say 2006 was the pinnacle of that era. We wondered if those days could ever come back.
Substack pulled it off!
With its innovative blend of blog publishing and social media community building—Substack has a good thing going. The current owners oppose censorship, and their dedication to freedom is paying off.
But I still worry about its long-term future. If Musk is truly a man of “the people,” perhaps he will see the value of Substack and one day preserve its free speech vibe by buying it.
He should buy early before the price goes way up—because the sky is the limit for Substack. This place is a well-oiled (publishing) machine. You can tell that Substack listens to its user base and constantly improves its UX.
Maybe the current owners of Substack won’t sell out? I’m sure they will be tempted by various bidders—some with nefarious intentions and deep pockets.
Hopefully, Substack will never require Elon the Bold to protect its virtue.
Not a good idea to consolidate media, especially under any billionaire or corporation. We want as much decentralization as possible.