Parler and Donald Trump’s Truth Social have previously been blocked by the two dominant app marketplaces for prioritizing free speech over content moderation. And while both have now been readmitted after making concessions, it’s possible that Twitter’s path could see it being blocked by Google Play and the App Store, too. So what would Musk do if that happened? While other free-speech-focused apps have taken a more hands-on approach to moderation in response, Musk claims he would take a less conciliatory approach. “I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone,” he tweeted.
Elon Musk phone a serious threat?
How seriously should we take that? Both seriously and not at all. Let’s start with the serious end. Musk remains the richest person on the planet, and he’s clearly a man who’s not above making impulsive decisions as buying Twitter while foregoing his right to due diligence (opens in new tab) shows. Essentially, nothing is stopping him from entering the smartphone world if he wants to, but despite the many eager responses and positive polls posted by Musk superfans in response, it would be a massive uphill struggle to get even a fraction of Apple and Google’s mobile OS market share. Despite accepting Twitter polls as sufficient evidence to decide consequential Twitter policy (opens in new tab), Musk will know that on-platform surveys spread amongst his biggest fans don’t exactly meet the standards of polling methodology. Voting ‘yes’ in a poll is not the same as getting your wallet out and pre-ordering a hypothetical (and likely expensive) product. Even if it were, making a smartphone isn’t exactly something that happens overnight. And with Musk privately not ruling out the possibility of Twitter going bankrupt (opens in new tab), time wouldn’t be on his side were Apple and Google to pull the plug. It’s also worth highlighting that Musk says a lot of things — especially on Twitter — and not all of it should be taken at face value (opens in new tab). Most recently, he promised that no decisions about unbanning Twitter accounts would be made until a moderation council had formed (opens in new tab) — a pledge that lasted all of 22 days (opens in new tab). With that in mind, the phrasing of the tweet is important: “if there is no other choice” is quite a telling phrase. There are loads of possible choices, including tougher content moderation — the option that both Truth Social and Parler picked. In short, yes, Musk could build his own phone, or one branded with Tesla or Starlink. But it’s hard to imagine executives at Apple or Google losing any sleep over the possibility — and even less chance of it having any impact on the decision to ban Twitter, should it be discussed. If that was the intention of the tweet, then it feels more than a little misguided.
