Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

Former Twitter vice president on Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and billionaires' whims controlling social media

Former Twitter vice president on Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and billionaires' whims controlling social media

Bruce Daisley spent eight years working for Twitter and fears Elon Musk's proposed takeover could have major implications on the media with what we see and read being controlled by "who has got the biggest pile of cash".

Having huge social media platforms controlled at the "whim of billionaires" is "wholly undemocratic", a former vice president of Twitter has told Sky News.

Bruce Daisley spent eight years working for the US tech giant between 2012 and 2020, and was speaking after Elon Musk agreed a $44bn (£35.6bn) deal to buy it.

He said: "Billionaires' whims controlling media is something we've always been subject to and something we've witnessed in press and broadcast.

"But now it's coming to social platforms and the danger is it feels wholly undemocratic.

"In a democratic society the opportunity to have oversight over these incredibly powerful tools is probably something of a right.

"One of the challenges is we are allowing, and almost deferring the control of what we read and what we see - broadly to the winner of who has got the biggest pile of cash."

His comments come as Mr Musk announced he would reverse the platform's "foolish" ban on Donald Trump if his acquisition goes through.

The former US president was sanctioned "in the midst of the 6 January insurrection after repeated warnings, and final warnings", Mr Daisley said.

"He was posting things saying he thought the people invading the Capitol were loyal to him and just effectively probably drove the leadership of the organisation (Twitter) to the point where they had no choice.

"And so most people on 7 January would have said the ban was justified and most media accepted that. But I guess we've all got short memories.

"Ultimately it shouldn't be one person's decision if he comes back."

Former Twitter vice president Bruce Daisley has been speaking to Sky News


Asked how social media platforms could be made more accountable, Mr Daisley suggested greater transparency and awareness of their rules and regulations.

He said: "Quite often technology companies shroud themselves in secrecy. They try and say their algorithm is complicated and sophisticated and so the consequence of that is they avoid too much scrutiny.

"If people knew the amount of employees working on responding to issues or if people know the amount of people working to keep toxic tweets away from them - if they knew how small those teams were then they would have an opinion on it.

"Every platform from Facebook to YouTube to Twitter should have to publish the amount of people they've got working, responding to customer enquiries, reports of abuse.

"We often see these things only when they intrude into the news. A Premier League footballer is subjected to racist abuse. The first thing we say is 'how did this happen?'

"Well, if we knew it happened because there is a small team, the size of the number of Uber passengers in a car - and they're dealing with it in Hungary - if we knew all those things were the components then we would see it was obvious why it happened."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
×