Elon Musk’s Influence Was Misjudged
The past few years have been a whirlwind in social media land. Our experiences online pre-pandemic feel like a generation ago. The rise of short-form video has not only transformed the social media giants (Instagram, YouTube), but also pushed video on what had been text-first platforms. Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase in 2022, which many predicted to not pan out, continues to be misjudged based on its subsequent influence. It is not an understatement to say X was the pivotal factor in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The defining driver behind this development: Elon Musk.
One reason why Tesla is such a difficult company to analyze is that one ends up needing to analyze Elon Musk. It’s not an easy task. While I am keenly aware of the key man / woman risk being overstated, there is no denying that Musk is single-handily determining Tesla’s key strategic decisions and direction. As it pertains to X, formerly Twitter, a similarly overpowering presence by Musk is apparent. Partly out of necessity as large advertisers moved away from the platform, X embraced paid subscriptions. The company also dropped what had been Twitter’s highly controversial content moderation policies that followed partisan lines. As someone who used Twitter during the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections, the most recent campaign felt and looked different on X. Not only was President Trump’s account reinstated, but a wide selection of accounts that had been banned in the years leading up to Musk’s takeover were reinstated and active. From my vantage point, both sides of the political aisle were adequately represented on X, which was not the case pre-Musk, although the claim is somewhat subjective given the X algorithm.
Become a member today to continue reading. Already a member? Sign in and read the full essay here.
Inside Orchard Membership
Choose either a monthly or annual membership. Payment is processed by Memberful and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Receive Exclusive Essays. The cornerstone of an Inside Orchard subscription is access to Neil’s weekly essays on the latest developments in the technology industry. Weekly essays are ~1,000 words and sent via email. Essays revolve around the following topics: technology industry analysis, business model analysis, technology’s impact on societal and consumer trends. Create a free profile to read a few sample essays.
Access Exclusive Private Podcast. Listen to Inside Orchard essays via an exclusive private podcast. After becoming a member, all previously-published podcast episodes become available in your favorite podcast player. Podcast episodes never become available to the public.
Inside Orchard Support. Play an active role in supporting Inside Orchard as an independent source of analysis and perspective. Inside Orchard is 100% supported by its subscribers.