In a not too long ago launched deposition for an October 2023 defamation lawsuit, businessman and eternally on-line divorcée Elon Musk spoke concerning the influence his posts on X (previously Twitter) have had on the enterprise facet of the social media web site, which he bought for $44 billion in October 2022. The deposition, which was not too long ago made public and printed in full by HuffPost is stuffed with precisely what you’d anticipate from a person who wore a Lifeless House t-shirt to livestream the Mexican border, who introduced a gun to to a Cyberpunk 2077 recording session, and who was booed at a Valorant event final yr.
The defamation lawsuit passed off final fall, after Musk falsely recognized a person named Ben Brody as a protestor at a neo-Nazi rally on X/Twitter. As HuffPost stories, the lawsuit alleges that Musk used his huge attain (he has practically 180M followers on the positioning) to “amplify a false far-right conspiracy principle linking 22-year-old Ben Brody to a brawl in Oregon between the neo-Nazi group Rose Metropolis Nationalists and the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist combat membership.” Brody was not even in the identical state by which the June 24, 2023 brawl occurred.
In line with HuffPost, Musk was current at a two-hour-long deposition on March 27, shortly after which his lawyer, Alex Spiro, allegedly “filed a number of emergency motions in an try and hold the deposition sealed.” I can perceive why. Throughout the deposition (which you’ll learn in full right here), Musk admitted he had a “restricted understanding” of the lawsuit he was being deposed for, and seemed to be confused over who was truly suing him—amongst different issues.
At one level within the deposition transcript, Brody’s legal professional (Mark Banskton) referenced the September 2023 biography of Elon Musk written by Walter Isaacson, by which Musk is quoted as jokingly saying, “I’ve shot myself within the foot so typically, I ought to purchase some Kevlar boots.” Bankston then requested Musk if, “as of final summer season, that you just knew that you just had some difficulties restraining your impulses on Twitter?” Musk replied with “I wouldn’t say that” earlier than saying he believed that the “bedrock of democracy is freedom of speech.”
After a lot back-and-forth, Bankston ultimately requested Musk whether or not his buying of X affected the best way he posts on the positioning, to which Musk replied that what he shares has “actually remained unchanged earlier than and after the acquisition.” He continued:
And going again to the form of self-inflicted wounds, the Kevlar sneakers, I believe there’s—I’ve most likely carried out—I could have carried out extra to financially impair the corporate than to assist it, however definitely I—I don’t information my posts by what’s financially helpful however by what I consider is fascinating or necessary or entertaining to the general public.
Musk additionally admitted to working another account (@ermnmusk) on which he has pretended to be his personal son, who’s a toddler. The account was the main target of an April 2023 Motherboard article titled “Is This Elon Musk’s Burner Twitter Account?” A number of of the posts, which have since been faraway from X/Twitter, appeared to have been written from the attitude of Musk’s little one with musician Grimes. One learn, “I want I used to be sufficiently old to go to nightclubs. They sound so enjoyable.” The account, which nonetheless exists and has the username “Elon Check,” nonetheless repeatedly shares posts on the positioning, however doesn’t look like from the attitude of a toddler anymore (although the profile image depicts a younger little one).
Within the deposition, Musk additionally acknowledged that he didn’t consider Brody was “meaningfully harmed” by his false accusation.
.
