September 4th, 2024

Elon Musk and his tech bros-in-arms are winning the global battle for the truth

Elon Musk and Pavel Durov are pivotal in the tech industry's discourse on truth and accountability, with Durov's arrest and Brazil's ban on X highlighting tensions between tech leaders and state authority.

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Elon Musk and his tech bros-in-arms are winning the global battle for the truth

Elon Musk and Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, are at the center of a global discourse on truth and accountability in the tech industry. Durov's recent arrest in France and a Brazilian court's decision to block access to Musk's platform, X, mark significant moments in the ongoing struggle between tech leaders and state authority. While Durov faces serious charges, including money laundering, Musk continues to promote a narrative of free speech, despite complying with numerous requests from authoritarian regimes to censor content. The article argues that Musk's version of free speech serves his interests, often distorting the truth. It highlights the dangers of a tech elite that operates with impunity, suggesting that their influence is reshaping societal norms and expectations around truth and accountability. The implications of these events could redefine the relationship between technology and governance, as the tech elite's narratives gain traction over traditional notions of truth. Ultimately, the author posits that Musk is winning this battle for truth, as his messages spread rapidly through social media, creating a generation of followers who emulate his ideals.

- Elon Musk and Pavel Durov are central figures in the debate over truth and accountability in tech.

- Durov's arrest and Brazil's ban on X signal a potential shift in the balance of power between tech leaders and state authority.

- Musk's claims of free speech are criticized as self-serving and misleading.

- The influence of tech elites is reshaping societal norms regarding truth and accountability.

- The ongoing events may redefine the relationship between technology and governance.

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By @Terr_ - 8 months
> the pseudo cryptolibertarianism they both espouse

Quibble: I wouldn't use that phrasing since the prefix "crypto" already has a definite and entrenched meaning in the context of political labels, one which is the opposite of the author's intended meaning.

For example, Churchill spoke against "crypto-communists", and that meant actual communists who were hiding their true ideology or disguising it as something else.

That means a "crypto-libertarian" would be someone who is actually libertarian, but hiding it. That's the opposite of Musk.

_____

P.S.: A quick pre-buttal: There's often some comment out of the woodwork pointing out that languages eventually change over time (technically true) and therefore somehow you can't ever oppose an attempt to redefine things (which is nonsense.) I invite readers to imagine their reaction to some teenager who insists that their .mp4 file is "a youtube".