Will an Elon Musk smartphone come around? Last Friday (25), the CEO of Twitter said that he is willing to create his own device, if Apple and Google remove the social network from their stores. Though he says he hopes it won’t go that far unless he has no other choice, this is the first time Musk has confirmed he’s leaning into the cellphone market.
The news that Musk would be interested in the smartphone industry came a few months ago, when rumors that the tycoon was planning to launch a Tesla cell phone gained traction among the community.
Although the news has not been made official, his recent statement revived the subject, showing that at least his involvement in this industry is not impossible.
Musk’s announcement was made on his Twitter account and came as a response to conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler, who suggested the billionaire create this new smartphone if companies boycotted the social network.
After Musk’s response, Wheeler then opened a poll on his account, asking if his followers would switch to a “telONphone” – in a clear pun on the CEO’s name. As a result, 51.2% of them answered yes, while 48.8 said no.
Musk’s conduct may collide with store guidelines
Although neither Apple nor Google have spoken on the subject, some conduct adopted by Musk raised suspicions that companies could remove the platform from their app store.
Since he bought Twitter, Musk has been positioning himself in favor of the “absolute freedom of expression” of its users, ignoring previous measures taken by the network regarding accounts that violated the platform’s rules.
One of the most emblematic cases was that of former US president Donald Trump, who was banned from Twitter in January last year. At the time, the platform’s decision was made after Trump defended the Capitol invasion demonstrations, which took place during the confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory and resulted in the deaths of five people.
Expelled from the network for “incitement to violence”, the politician, however, was able to return to Twitter a few days agoafter Musk took a poll on the platform and decided to return.
Although Trump was not interested in using the application again, the CEO’s decision reinforced the fear of advertisers and users that the network would adopt a less rigid moderation. Which, consequently, could make it a more toxic and extremist place.
It is worth remembering that this conduct would collide with the guidelines of the App Store and Google Play, since both companies have very explicit policies on the prohibition of applications that contain hate speech, harassment, intimidation or incitement to violence.
https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/2022/11/28/elon-musk-menciona-celular-alternativo-para-o-twitter-mas-quem-iria-querer/