--- title: "Free Speech Warrior Elon Musk Writes Column For Chinese State Censor’s Magazine" description: "Elon Musk, vocal free speech advocate, has once again proven that his self-avowed free speech absolutism far from absolute." date: "2022-08-16" modified: "2022-08-16" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-chinese-censor" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "censorship" - "china" - "elon musk" - "the digest" --- # Free Speech Warrior Elon Musk Writes Column For Chinese State Censor’s Magazine ![Elon Musk, vocal free speech advocate, has once again proven that his self-avowed free speech absolutism far from absolute.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## First Amender Elon Musk, billionaire tech entrepreneur and vocal free speech warrior, has [once again]() proven that his self-avowed [free speech absolutism]() is, uh, actually pretty far from absolute. Over the weekend, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO wrote a column for a magazine published by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), [*Bloomberg* reports](). And sure, he's free to speak, as he almost constantly does, anywhere he pleases. But seeing as how the CAC is the Chinese government's [central censorship body]() — literally working around the clock to counter free speech — publishing on its *specific* platform seems like a *seriously* contradictory move for such an outspoken free speech advocate. ## Business First This particular case of Highly Conditional Musk Free Speech-ism appears, unsurprisingly, to be financially motivated. Musk, as *Bloomberg* details, has spent the last several years [developing a strong relationship]() with Beijing, and Tesla especially has seen massive success in the country — which makes sense, as China is the world's top market for EVs. To his credit, Musk isn't the only American tech leader who, [despite restrictive censorship laws]() and the, ahem, *drama* between the US and China, has strived to strengthen business ties with the nation. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai, among other powerful executives, have worked to do the same. The major difference, though? None of those CEOs have been [as loud as Musk]() in leveraging the language of free speech when it benefits their own business interests. And they definitely aren't headed to court for attempting to buy a major social media platform on the principle that, as Musk [wrote in an April statement](), "free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy" — a social media platform that, as it's certainly worth noting, is [banned by Chinese censors](). But between the [botched Twitter deal](), [supply chain woes](), and [who knows]() [what else](), Musk is clearly a lot more worried about his bottom line than, you know, rights or ethics. Like most of the promises he makes, take any value statements with a hefty serving of salt. "I hope more people will join us in our fight to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy," Musk wrote in the column, according to *Bloomberg*. "I also welcome more like-minded Chinese partners to join us in exploring clean energy, artificial intelligence, human-machine collaboration and space exploration to create a future worth waiting for." **READ MORE:** [*Now Elon Musk Is Telling China’s Censors About His Vision for the Future*]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on Elon Musk not caring about free speech:** [*Free Speech Champion Elon Musk Fires Employees for Criticizing Him*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()