--- title: "Elon Musk Begs People on Twitter to Be Nicer" description: "Just days after going to war with his critics, Elon Musk now wants to foster \"positive\" vibes on his platform X, formerly Twitter." date: "2024-12-30" modified: "2024-12-30" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-twitter-be-nice" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "politics" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Begs People on Twitter to Be Nicer ![Just days after going to war with his critics, Elon Musk now wants to foster "positive" vibes on his platform X, formerly Twitter.]() *Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives for a visit at the company's electric car plant in Gruenheide near Berlin, eastern Germany, on March 13, 2024, as employees resumed work after production had to be halted due to a suspected arson attack that caused a power outage. Damage to the lines knocked out power to the plant as well as cutting electricity to surrounding villages since power lines supplying the factory were set on fire in the early hours of March 5, 2024. Far-left activists from the "Vulkangruppe" (Volcano Group) have claimed responsibility for the sabotage, saying they aimed to achieve "the biggest possible blackout of the gigafactory", a reference to the Tesla plant. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images) \Image: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Golden Rule Elon Musk just wants to be a wholesome guy. On Sunday, the tech centibillionaire made a humble plea [on his website]() X — formerly Twitter — to his over two hundred million followers: "Please post a bit more positive, beautiful or informative content on this platform." From many corners of X, the response Musk got wasn't quite what he had in mind. Many posts accused him of being a "hypocrite," [*The Huffington Post* found](), if not the prime source of negativity on the platform. "You first," [rejoined]() fellow billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. "Too late. You created this cesspool. You own it," [quipped]() another user. "Hypocrite." ## Healthy Disagreement Elon's tweet is perhaps his attempt at turning over a new leaf following the [H-1B1 debacle on his website](), in which the far right nationalists in president-elect Donald Trump's base attacked him for supporting laxer immigration policy that would allow skilled foreign workers to come to the US, especially to ply their trade in the tech industry. What ensued was a days-long meltdown from Musk — and to be fair, many of his opponents in the debate — that culminated with him swearing vengeance upon his enemies for all time. "Take a big step back and FUCK YOURSELF in the face," Musk [wrote]() to an H-1B1 skeptic just days before his call for positivity. "I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend." He also [called]() his critics on the right "subtards" — a riff on his favorite slur against disabled people. ## Fleeting Mood To be fair — even though we really don't need to be — Musk was [going toe to toe with flagrant racists]() who despise immigrants [even more than he does](). But true to form, Musk has already returned to moaning about "wokism" and "DEI" and [agreeing with posts]() that are out-and-out racism apologias. "Is there a single person, anywhere on the planet, more lacking in critical self-awareness than this guy?" [criticized]() author and journalist Robert Wright. **More on Elon Musk:** *[MAGA Figures Turn on Elon Musk for Not Hating Immigrants Enough]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()