Elon Musk, who has described himself as a “free speech absolutist”, wrote a column for Chinese online censors.
In the column, Musk celebrates his own ventures – particularly SpaceX, Tesla and Neuralink – while establishing what he says is “a brighter future for humanity”.
He does not mention his conflict with Twitterwho is suing him after he backed out of a $44 billion deal to buy the platform.
Musk first said he wanted to buy Twitter because of how much he freedom of expression valued – something that goes against the work of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s online regulator.
The billionaire claimed he was asked by the magazine to contribute his “thoughts on the vision for technology and humanity”, which included founding a self-sustaining city on Mars.
“Any area that contributes to a sustainable future deserves our investment,” he wrote.
“Whether it’s Tesla, Neuralink or SpaceX, these companies were all founded with the ultimate goal of improving the future of human life and creating as much practical value as possible for the world.
“You’re here to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy, Neuralink for medical rehabilitation, SpaceX to make interstellar connections possible,” he added.
The billionaire has long taken a softer stance towards the Chinese government than he has towards US authorities, whom he has repeatedly criticized when their actions conflict with his business interests.
While describing the COVID-19 lockdowns in the US as ‘fascism’, he kept quiet about similar moves in China, though they’re much more drastic and impacting the world as well. production in Tesla factories.
Unlike in the United States, Mr. Musk’s business in China is conducted at the discretion of Beijing.
He’s not the only tech mogul to try to woo Beijing.
Apple’s Tim Cook, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai have all tried – with varying degrees of success – to side with the Chinese Communist Party.
Commenting on the Bloomberg News column, Kendra Schaefer said, “If Musk doesn’t sit before a congressional committee within a year to be questioned about his relationship with China, I will be flabbergasted.”
When he initially explained the motivation behind his $44 billion takeover of Twitter – from which he is now engaged in a legal battle to exit – Mr Musk said: “Free speech is the foundation of a democracy that works, and Twitter is the place of the digital city where vital questions for the future of humanity are debated.”
At the time, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos asked if the deal would give China “a bit of influence” on the platform.