‘No One Shows Up Anyway’: Elon Musk Floats Converting Twitter’s San Francisco HQ to Homeless Shelter
00:03 GMT 11.04.2022 (Updated: 12:56 GMT 14.04.2023)
© AP Photo / Hannibal Hanschke
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Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, received a wave of requests from pro-Trump netizens last week after disclosing his assumption of a board seat at Twitter, one of many social media platforms that indefinitely banned then-US President Donald Trump amid his final months in office. Musk is Twitter Inc.’s biggest shareholder, with a 9.2% stake.
Over the weekend, Elon Musk, 50, appeared eager to fuse his ideas and personal brand with Twitter. In a series of provocative tweets, the billionaire entrepreneur offered a number of potential changes for the platform boasting over 200 million active users.
“Convert Twitter SF HQ to homeless shelter since no one shows up anyway,” the poll states, giving users the option to select the affirmative ‘Y’ or ‘N.’
Convert Twitter SF HQ to homeless shelter since no one shows up anyway
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022
San Francisco’s Public Health Department estimates that more than 18,000 individuals are dealing with homelessness at some point during the year.
In this Jan. 11, 2021, file photo, a sign hangs at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco. Republican state lawmakers are pushing for social media giants to face costly lawsuits for policing content on their websites, taking aim at a federal law that prevents internet companies, like Twitter, from being sued for removing posts.
© AP Photo / Noah Berger
While the head count for those without homes has been consistently rising, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue in terms of health, outreach, and other initiatives.
However, it is anyone’s guess whether the vocal billionaire investor was genuinely concerned about those faced with homelessness in San Francisco, as he appeared to make light of the survey in a follow-up poll.
“Delete the w in twitter?” Musk posed, eliciting mixed commentary from respondents.
“And we thought Elon Musk will fight for freedom of speech on Twitter. Dude went straight to breasts,” tweeted a user with the apt handle ‘ThePollLady.’
“Just replace the ‘i’ with an ‘a,’” suggested Kristina Wong.
Musk also tweeted revisions he would make to Twitter Blue, a paid subscription service launched last year that offers platform users exclusive access to premium features.
The service is available to those accessing the website or app from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays $3/month) should get an authentication checkmark,” he tweeted, referring to the blue ‘verified’ icon that has been historically reserved for celebrities, public figures, politicians, members of the press, and other individuals deemed noteworthy by Twitter.
“Price should probably be ~$2/month, but paid 12 months up front & account doesn’t get checkmark for 60 days (watch for CC chargebacks) & suspended with no refund if used for scam/spam,” Musk added. “And no ads. The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive.”
He went on to say that, moving forward, a Twitter Blue subscription “should be proportionate to affordability & in local currency.” He also spitballed the idea of Twitter accepting payments in Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that ballooned last year and has been known to spike, or remain steady, based on Elon Musk’s tweets, social media bandwagons, and rumors.
