In a surprising move, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has decided to restore the X accounts of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his media outlet, Infowars. Previously banned in 2018 by the platform’s former management due to the dissemination of abusive content and violations of community guidelines, both accounts have been reinstated following a user poll conducted by Musk on December 9.
The poll garnered nearly 2 million votes and indicated that approximately 70% of respondents favored the reinstatement of Alex Jones’ account. Shortly after the poll concluded at 1,966,125 votes, Musk proceeded to reactivate Jones’ account, with the Infowars account also being restored concurrently.
Musk defended his decision by aligning himself with the sentiment expressed by a user who criticized permanent account bans as contrary to the principles of free speech. Musk stated, “I find it hard to disagree with this point.”
Addressing concerns about potential misinformation resulting from Jones’ return, Musk referenced the Community Notes program, assuring that those involved would swiftly correct any misleading posts by Jones.
Alex Jones has a history of promoting conspiracy theories surrounding the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, where he falsely claimed it was staged. This led to a lawsuit, resulting in a Connecticut court ordering Jones to pay $1.5 billion in damages last year.
Musk’s decision to reinstate these controversial accounts comes at a challenging time for X, as the platform grapples with the departure of significant advertisers such as Apple, Disney, and IBM. Ad spending on the social network dwindled after Musk endorsed an antisemitic theory, which he later apologized for, calling his initial comment “foolish.”
Musk expressed dissatisfaction with advertisers who ceased spending on X, bluntly stating at the DealBook conference, “If somebody’s going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money? Go fuck yourself.”
During the same conference, Musk criticized Disney’s Bob Iger and vehemently asserted that the advertising boycott would “kill the company,” placing responsibility on those participating for the platform’s potential demise.
While Musk’s decision to reinstate Alex Jones and Infowars may attract criticism from advertisers and others monitoring hate speech, Musk defended the move by acknowledging potential financial repercussions but asserting that “principles matter more than money.”
Since Elon Musk took control of Twitter — now X, has reinstated several controversial figures, including Kanye West, former U.S. President Donald Trump, far-right influencer Andrew Tate, and right-wing academic Jordan Peterson.
The question now is, will Musk bring back more accounts? Only time will tell. But for now, no one knows for sure what next He’s cooking.
