Telegram slam: the Russian driving Musk to extremes

Could it be that Elon Musk is running scared? In recent days, the personal motivation of the multi-billionaire and tech innovator has become a hot topic. What possesses such an obviously intelligent person to voice support for the far-right thugs and their leader, Tommy Robinson? At best, it is polarising and will alienate many of his customers, including possibly those of his Tesla cars.

- CHRIS BLACKHURST

Why, suddenly, is he so opposed to the government of Sir Keir Starmer? Previously, he was an admirer of Rishi Sunak, and the Tory approach to the unrest would have been little different from Labour had they been in power. Yet, Musk has turned on Starmer with barbs that are at times personal. These and other questions have been raised about Musk’s behaviour.

One possibility is that he is advocating free speech and, as the owner of X, he fears whatever curbs Starmer may be planning with the Online Safety Bill. Certainly, he appears to be laying down a challenge that Starmer et al are threatening the very principle of freedom of expression in moving against social media. However, his reasoning may be further explained by the realisation that his channel has a rival which is growing in popularity and which authorities are struggling to touch. The increasing success of Telegram might well be what is prompting Musk, with his 193 million followers on X, to become a one-man advert for his own platform.