Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk has alleged that he and his companies are being targeted by the U.S. government after his Twitter acquisition in October 2022.
Implications of the Allegations: Responding to a post by venture capitalist David Sacks, Musk said he has been the subject of a “relentless attack” after he lifted censorship on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, post the acquisition.
It’s evident that Musk feels besieged – his public characterization of the U.S. government’s actions against him and his business interests shades grimly of a modern-day David fighting against a bureaucratic goliath.
Musk reposted a tweet by Sacks where he accused Democrats of undermining “freedom of speech and freedom from political persecution.”
“How far will they go to stop me?” he pondered, echoing a question that reflects the intensity of his concerns.
Musk has in the past agreed with a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that accused the Biden administration of using “regulatory harassment” to target him unfairly.
In further replies, Musk seemed to agree with theories that the decision to rescind his $55.8 billion Tesla pay package by a Delaware judge was a part of the attacks against him.
He has since filed to change the state of incorporation of two of his companies, SpaceX and Neuralink, from Delaware to Texas. He also encouraged other companies to move out of Delaware “as soon as possible.”
In another response, he said the fake news and censorship surrounding Tesla and him is “insane.”
Significance: Musk has been vocal about censorship on the internet, criticizing the U.S. government on multiple occasions.
For instance, in February last year, he called the Global Engagement Center, an agency under the United States Department of State, as the “worst offender” of government censorship and a “threat to our democracy.”
Musk acquired Twitter citing free speech as one of the primary reasons. He also reiterated that he is a “free speech absolutist” and refused to censor Russian news sources on Starlink.