--- title: "Elon Musk Says His Tweets Are Being Suppressed, in a Tweet We Can See Perfectly Fine" description: "The world's richest man is now claiming that his speech is being suppressed on Twitter — but we and everyone can see the tweet he posted about it just fine." date: "2022-09-13" modified: "2022-09-13" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-twitter-suppressed-shadowbanning-claim" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "free speech" - "shadowbanned" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Says His Tweets Are Being Suppressed, in a Tweet We Can See Perfectly Fine ![The world's richest man is now claiming that his speech is being suppressed on Twitter — but we and everyone can see the tweet he posted about it just fine.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Ban Me Daddy The world's richest man is now claiming that his speech is being suppressed on Twitter — but we can see the tweet he posted about it just fine. "My tweets are being suppressed!" [Musk raged]() under the display name "Naughtius Maximus," in an apparent reference to the character Nortius Maximus from "Monty Python's Life of Brian" who is best-known for a song from the film called "[You Mean You Were Raped?]()" That questionable context in hand, Musk followed up with [another tweet]() tagging Twitter, the company's verification page, and Parag Agrawal, the company's current CEO. Less than an hour later, Musk again referenced "Monty Python And the Holy Grail" [by tweeting](), without threading, context, or commentary, a [meme gif]() of a character from the film yelling "Help, I'm being suppressed!" Again, we can see all theses tweets just fine. ## Dealer's Choice Curiously, Musk's unsubstantiated claims of tweet suppression came just after [Twitter shareholders voted in favor]() of him taking over the company in spite of his repeated requests and pending [court maneuvers]() geared towards withdrawing from the $44 billion dollar deal. This is not, of course, the first time the world's richest man has claimed that he's been "shadowbanned," or had his posts secretly suppressed, by the social network that he initially tried to buy over supposed free speech concerns. He joked earlier this year that a "[shadow ban council]()" was reviewing his grainy-image meme tweets, and right-wing commentators like Sean Hannity have [pushed conspiracy theories]() claiming that Musk's takeover bid "exposed" an internal shadowbanning campaign. Like most people who claim they've been shadowbanned, it's unlikely that there's an any conspiracy to suppress his speech on Twitter or anywhere else — and, as in most other cases when folks cry shadowbanning, any lowered engagement is likely the result of people simply being annoyed by or disinterested in their posts. **More Muskery:** [*Elon Musk Furious That the Government Isn't Giving Him More Free Money*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()