Recently, Jon Stewart, a well-known liberal comedian, took a playful shot at Elon Musk during an episode of “The Daily Show.” This happened after Musk, the CEO of several companies, hosted an interview with former President Donald Trump on his social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter).
But even though Stewart and fellow billionaire Mark Cuban were critical, Musk wasn’t about to stay quiet. He fired back, explaining how X’s algorithm actually works.
Both Cuban and Stewart hinted that Musk had some secret plan behind his purchase of X in late 2022. They suggested he was using his position to control what people talk about on social media. However, Musk has always defended his actions, saying that he strongly believes in free speech. He claims that X is a platform where people from all political views can express themselves without censorship.
Cuban started off by saying, “I mean, look at Elon, right? Elon, being one of the most powerful people, he’s trying to be the most influential man in the world — it sounds like a commercial — but literally, that’s what Twitter has given him.” Stewart quickly added, “I’ve gotta say, I think he might already be that.
I don’t even think he’s trying to be. When you’re setting up satellite links for war zones and also controlling conversations on the biggest media platform, you’re the most powerful.”
Cuban then pointed out how big of a deal X really is. “Twitter is in almost every country, right? So, Elon can connect with the prime minister or leader of any country he wants. Whoever’s in charge of that country has an interest in what happens on Twitter.
And since Elon controls the algorithms and is the platform’s biggest user, everything depends on him. He can literally control what happens with the swipe of his thumb,” Cuban explained.
Stewart went further, suggesting Musk is worried about civil war, especially concerning white Americans. “I think Elon is convinced that civil war is inevitable, and that white people are the ones in danger,” Stewart said. Cuban agreed, adding, “It’s frightening and concerning.”
Cuban also shared his thoughts on algorithms, hinting that Musk might be shaping X to fit his own preferences. “When you write an algorithm — I haven’t written a lot myself, but it’s been a while — you get to decide what happens on your platform.
And Elon has definitely done that with the things he likes,” Cuban said. Stewart chimed in, “But isn’t this a little bit of ‘tech bro malpractice,’ when there’s a huge demand for something less biased or less toxic?”
Musk didn’t stay quiet for long. He took to X and responded with a laugh. “That was hilarious 😂 Unlike the other platforms, our algorithm is open source! If you argue with ‘right-wing’ accounts, like Cuban does a lot, the algorithm thinks that’s what you want to see more of. It’s that simple. Lmao,” Musk explained, shutting down the idea that he manipulates the platform’s content.
A popular X account later shared the clip of Cuban and Stewart’s conversation, writing, “Mark Cuban and Jon Stewart slam 𝕏 and @elonmusk, accuse Musk of manipulating the algorithm to push his preferred narratives to influence the election.”
The account also added, “Neither of these guys seem to have a problem with an entire media industry built to lie and manipulate information to help their favorite candidates. But suddenly, one platform that allows uncensored views from all sides is the problem — all because its owner doesn’t follow their political narrative.”
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