Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes a shot at his rival Elon Musk outside the ring, suggesting that Musk’s “polarizing” style will hinder the social media platform from realizing its full potential.
Zuckerberg previously stated that Musk is not serious about fighting him in a mixed martial arts match. He now expresses less optimism about Twitter, now known as X, since Musk acquired it for $44 billion last year.
“I think it’s still unclear which direction it’s headed,” Zuckerberg told The Verge tech reporter Alex Heath on Wednesday.
“But I do believe that Musk has been quite polarizing, so I am not sure if it will reach its full potential on its current trajectory. I’m probably less optimistic now than before.”
Zuckerberg, whose own app called Threads, aimed at competing with Twitter, has struggled since its highly publicized launch in July. He also mentioned that he had considered buying Twitter back in 2008 when Jack Dorsey was fired as CEO but talks never progressed.
He saw Twitter as a “billion-person social app” that he could expand, but the acquisition discussions did not materialize.
X currently has approximately 200 million users.
However, Zuckerberg did acknowledge Musk as a “change agent.”
“With Elon’s involvement, there was definitely an opportunity to make some changes, and he has done so,” Zuckerberg said.
The Post has reached out to X Corp for comment.
After acquiring Twitter, Musk implemented significant changes by laying off around 80% of the staff, revamping content moderation policies, reinstating banned accounts such as those of former President Donald Trump and the satirical news site Babylon Bee, and rebranding the company as X Corp.
Musk’s unconventional style and right-leaning politics have reportedly deterred advertisers who are cautious about being associated with a platform that allows unrestricted speech, which critics argue can venture into antisemitism and xenophobia.
Earlier this week, X Corp. reportedly downsized more than half of its team responsible for combating election-related misinformation.
Zuckerberg told The Verge that X’s “negative and critical” direction was one of the reasons he launched Threads.
In July, Adam Mosseri, a close associate of Zuckerberg who heads Instagram, stated in an interview with The Verge that Threads will not have any political or hard news content.
“There are already enough amazing communities—sports, music, fashion, beauty, entertainment, etc.—to create a vibrant platform without the need for politics or hard news,” Mosseri said.
Despite garnering 100 million signups in its first week after the July 5 launch, traffic to Threads significantly declined in the following weeks, dropping by up to 82%.
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