MARIA: THEY WILL HAVE TO SPLIT
UP A LOT OF MONEY, 500 MILLION,
CHERYL, THANK YOU.
TWITTER SHARES SURGE 22% ON
TUESDAY AFTER TESLA CEO ELON
MUSK REPORTEDLY DROPPED HIS
LEGAL CHALLENGE AND OFFERED TO
BUY TWITTER FOR ORIGINAL
44 BILLION-DOLLAR PRICE TAG.
JOINING US COMPETITIVE
ENTERPRISE DIRECTOR OF CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
FOR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
JESSICA MELUGIN.
>> ELON MUSK NEVER DISAPPOINTS.
WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT MUCH ELSE
ALTHOUGH TOM BRADY IS GIVING US
A NICE OFF RAMP BUT HERE WE ARE
BACK WITH TWITTER.
[LAUGHTER]
>> I THINK THAT THINGS WEREN’T
GOING HIS WAY IN COURT.
I THINK HIS LAWYERS PROBABLY
READ WRITING IN THE WALL AND
OBVIOUSLY SORT OF RECONSIDERED
AND THAT’S PROBABLY REALLY
SMART.
I DON’T THINK THAT THE COURT IN
DELAWARE WAS GOING TO LET HIM
OUT OF THIS SO WE ARE GOING TO
GO FORWARD AND SEE WHAT HE DOES
WITH TWITTER.
MARIA: DAGEN HE’S STILL TALKING
ABOUT 54.20 ON THE PRICE TAG THE
SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCING IT’S
GOING TO TAKE UP CASE WHICH
CHALLENGES TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
IMMUNITY UNDER SECTION 230, I
WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON THAT.
WHAT ABOUT THAT, DO YOU THINK
THAT HAS ANYTHING -- COMES INTO
PLAY WITH THIS?
WERE YOU SURPRISED?
DAGEN: ONE THING THAT I NOTICED
ANECDOTALLY ON TWITTER AS SOON
AS THE DEAL -- THIS WAS
ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY, I KNOW THAT
PEOPLE’S FOLLOWER ACCOUNTS
STARTED FALLING.
THEY STARTED -- THEY ARE TRYING
TO CLEAN UP THE BOTS
POTENTIALLY. THIS DEAL IS GOING
TO GET DONE, THEN YOU HAVE TO
COME CLEAN ABOUT THE NUMBER OF
BOT ACCOUNTS THAT ARE OUT THERE
AND IT WASN’T -- IT WASN’T JUST
MINE, IT WAS MANY PEOPLE HAD
LIKE A DECLINE AND --
MARIA: I WISH THEY WOULD JUST
STOP MESSING WITH THE ACCOUNTS,
YOU KNOW, WHY DO WE SEE THE HUGE
MOVES.
DAGEN: BECAUSE THEY ARE FAKE.
THEY ARE FAKE ACCOUNTS.
BRIAN: THAT WAS MUSK’S POINT. YOU JUST SAW LAST NIGHT.
YOU JUST SAW LAST NIGHT.
MARIA: YEAHS -- JESSICA, YOUR
THOUGHTS?
>> HE’S GOT TO CLEAN UP SOME OF
THAT MESS.
ADVERTISERS AREN’T GOING TO PAY
TO HAVE ADS IN FRONT OF THINGS
THAT AREN’T REAL.
HE IS TALKING ABOUT GOING TO A
SUBSCRIPTION MODEL WHICH WOULD
BE AN INTERESTING TRY AND THEN
THE ADVERTISING BECOMES LESS
IMPORTANT AND MIGHT ALLOW HIM TO
ADJUST LEVERS AND KEEP MORE
CONTENT UP THAT WAY.
IF YOU’RE SUBSCRIBING, YOU ARE
PROBABLY A LOT LESS PICKY OF
THOSE THINGS THAN ADVERTISERS
ARE.
THEY TEND TO BE MORE CONCERNED
ABOUT THOSE FACTORS.
I THINK THAT POTENTIALLY TWITTER
CAN BE IMPROVED IN A LOT OF
WAYS.
HE’S THE GUY THAT HAS DONE IN IT
IN OTHER PLACES.
MARIA: PEOPLE WANT TO SEE
ACCOUNTABILITY FROM BIG TECH AND
I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ABOUT
SECTION 230, THIS 1996 LAW
YIELDS INTERNET COMPANIES FROM
LAWSUITS RELATED TO USER
CONTENT, JESSICA AND NOW THE
SUPREME COURT IS TAKE IT ON.
HOW BIG IS THIS AND DO YOU THINK
WE SEE SERIOUS CHANGE HERE?
>> WELL, WE CERTAINLY COULD
POTENTIALLY, SO WHAT’S IMPORTANT
TO REMEMBER ABOUT SECTION 230 IS
THAT IT PROTECT IT IS INTERNET
PLATFORMS IN KEEPING MORE THINGS
UP AND THESE CASES ACTUALLY THAT
ARE IN FRONT OF THE SUPREME
COURT ARE ABOUT GETTING THE
PLATFORMS IN TROUBLE FOR NOT
TAKING ENOUGH DOWN, SO THE
CHARGES THAT THEIR ALGORITHMS
RECOMMENDED CONTENT THAT WAS
HARMFUL AND LEAD TO REAL-WORLD
HARMS AND IF THE SUPREME COURT
WEIGHS IN AND NARROW PROTECTIONS
OF SECTION 230 FOR THESE
PLATFORMS, PLATFORMS WOULD BE
INCENTIVIZED TO TAKE THE CONTENT
DOWN.
THAT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IF
THE COURT TAKES ACTION THIS WILL
NOT BE A VICTORY FOR
CONSERVATIVES WORRIED ABOUT
KEEPING MORE CONTENT UP, RIGHT,
THAT’S THE RUB WITH SECTION 230,
THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT HATES IT
BUT THEY HATE IT FOR OPPOSITE
REASONS.
THIS WOULD DO THAT.
MARIA: THE COMPANIES CAN’T BE
STOPPED, JOE CONCHA.
THEY CENSORED EVERYTHING THAT
THEY WANT.
IT JUST NEVER STOPS.
>> MISTAKES ONLY GO ONE
DIRECTION BEFORE THE 2020
ELECTION CENSORING ACCOUNTS WHO
SIMPLY SHARE THE NEW YORK POST
STORY ON HUNTER BIDEN.
JESSICA, MY QUESTION IS AND THIS
IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN’T
ANSWER DEFINITIVELY AND YOU
TALKED ABOUT ELON MUSK BEING
UNPREDICTABLE AND SOMEBODY ELSE
EQUALLY UNPREDICTABLE THE FORMER
PRESIDENT AND DONALD TRUMP.
DO YOU THINK HE RETURNS TO
TWITTER UNDER A ELON MUSK
LEADERSHIP WHERE HE HAS HIS OWN
SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLET IN TERMS OF
TRUTH SOCIAL BUT WILL DONALD
TRUMP RETURN TO PERHAPS HIS
FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD.
>> YEAH.
IT WOULD BE HARD TO RESIST YOU
WOULD THINK.
I THINK THAT ELON IS VERY OPEN
TO HAVING HIM BACK.
LIKE YOU SAID, I CAN’T SAY FOR
SURE BUT I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED
IF HE WAS WELCOME BACK ON,
WHETHER HE BITES AT THAT OR
STICKS TO TRUTH SOCIAL.
I DON’T KNOW.
HE’S A BETTER MARKETING EXPERT
THAN I’M ABOUT WHAT MAKES SENSE
FOR HIM BUT, YOU KNOW, AND I
WILL SAY, THERE’S NO REASON WHY
HE COULDN’T BE ON BOTH.
THAT’S THE THICK ABOUT THE
SITES, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE ON
JUST ONE AS WE ALL KNOW.
I THINK THE AVERAGE PERSON USES
SIX, SO MAYBE WE WILL SEE HIM
BACK ON BOTH PLATFORMS.
MARIA: GIVING HIM TOO MUCH
CREDIT, REALLY, I DON’T KNOW.
MEANWHILE THE ADMINISTRATION
CLAIMS IT’S NEARING A SECURITY
DEAL WITH TIKTOK TO REGULATE THE
CHINESE-OWNED SOCIAL MEDIA APP.
THE JOURNAL REPORTING THAT ITS
WARNING THIS DEAL MAY POSE A
LIABILITY FOR BIDEN AS TALKS
HAVE TAKEN ON ADDED URGENCY WITH
THE POTENTIALLY RED AWE IN
NOVEMBER, JESSICA.
WHERE DOES THIS GO?
>> WELL, THE PROPOSAL THAT’S
BEING NEGOTIATED RIGHT NOW
HASN’T BEEN MADE PUBLIC BUT WE
DO KNOW A FEW THINGS ABOUT IT
AND WHAT IT CENTERS AROUND A
COUPLE OF POINTS ONE WHICH IS
NOT LETTING CHINESE EMPLOYEES OF
TIKTOK HAVE ACCESS TO U.S.
CONSUMER DATA ON THE APP.
SO IT’S ABOUT MOVING ALL OF THAT
STUFF OVER TO THE U.S. ORACLE
MIGHT BE INVOLVED OVERSEEING
SOME OF IT AND PANEL OF SECURITY
EXPERTS THAT WOULD REPORT TO THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT OF ANY
PROPAGANDA OR MISINFORMATION
THAT MIGHT BE PUSHED THROUGH THE
CHINA GOVERNMENT ON THE APP, SO
WE WILL SEE IF THEY CAN GET THAT
DONE.
IDEALLY I SUPPOSED BEFORE THE
ELECTION, THAT’S WHERE A LOT OF
THE CONCERNS COME FROM.
I’M NOT SURE THEY’LL BE ABLE TO
GET IT DONE THAT QUICKLY.
IT’S COMPLICATED.
MARIA: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR