Yahoo Finance Famed tech journalist deletes X account with epic rant at Elon Musk and his ‘cesspool’ site
Veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg announced on Tuesday he was deactivating his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, saying Elon Musk’s takeover of the site turned it into a “cesspool.”
Mr Mossberg is a well-respected name and expert in the US tech writing industry, who also co-founded media sites such as Recode and AllThingsD. He announced his boycotting of X on Meta’s new platform Threads, saying his reasons revolve around business tycoon Mr Musk’s threats to sue the Anti-Defemation League (ADL).
Mr Musk is threatening to sue the ADL for around $22bn, claiming that the Jewish civil rights group is “destroying” his platform’s value by accusing him of antisemitism.
Mr Mossberg cut back his usage of X after Mr Musk bought back controversial figures accounts when he took over ownership of Twitter. Among others, Mr Musk restored the accounts of media personality Andrew Tate, who has been charged over rape and human trafficking claims, as well as Rep Majorie Taylor Greene, who is known for spreading conspiracy theories.
“Under Elon Musk, Twitter has not only decided to stop blocking bigots and liars and pro- insurrectionists, it has actively welcomed them, with apparent support from Mr. Musk. I had already cut my participation there by 90%. But Musk’s latest move, to threaten to ban and sue the ADL – to the delight of antisemites and other haters – is the last straw for me,” Mr Mossberg wrote on Threads.
He continued on to say he will only be found on Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. “They have their own drawbacks. (I even boycotted Meta for awhile pre-pandemic over privacy issues). But none comes close to the cesspool of Twitter under Musk, which, IMO, is steadily approaching the level of Truth Social,” he wrote.
Mr Mossberg famously quit Facebook back in 2018 “because my own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable here”.
This time, Mr Mossberg has quit X over fears that “antisemites and other haters” will revel in Mr Musk’s decision to ban and sue the ADL.
“It is profoundly disturbing that Elon Musk spent the weekend engaging with a highly toxic, anti-Semitic campaign on his platform,” ADL CEO Johnathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “But to be clear, the real issue is neither ADL nor the threat of a frivolous lawsuit. This urgent matter is the safety of the Jewish people in the face of increasing, intensifying antisemitism.”
While there has yet to be a lawsuit filed, Mr Musk took to X to promote the hashtag #BantheADL, which inevitably became popular amongst the far-right X community.
Before retiring from journalism back in 2017, Mr Mossberg wrote for The Wall Street Journal for over twenty years. His admired status makes his leave from X ten times louder in the media industry.
