Image Source: Mary Kate @_maryjordan via Twitter.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is known for his avid Twitter usage, which truly sets him apart. He joined Twitter in 2009 when the social media platform was in its early years -ever since, he has gained over 30 million followers and often enjoys to share jokes, memes with the masses. He is one of the few celebrity CEO's who personally answers to his Tesla customers' questions and concerns. And also interacts with SpaceX supporters, shares his passion to transform humans into a spacefaring civilization. He takes time to read what his supporters have to say and actually responds, making most feel they are actually friends with him.
Musk often helps charities and sets up events or meetings when asked via twitter too. He recently donated $1 million dollars to help plant trees on a global scale during a #TeamTrees Twitter campaign, created by a YouTuber named MrBeast who is working in coordination with Arbor Day Foundation to plant 20 million trees this year.
Ok, sounds legit, will donate 1M trees
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 29, 2019
In 2018, Musk read a girls petition via a Tweet message to help her contaminated city - Flint, Michigan, get clean water. Wholeheartedly, he promised her via Twitter he would send a water filtration system to those affected. Currently, water filtration systems are being used in Flint schools.
Read more: Elon Musk-Funded Water Filtration Systems for Flint Schools Continue Testing Ahead of Full Rollout.
Hey world. Let’s set the record straight. My team has been working with @elonmusk and his team for over a week to figure out the best solution to help #Flint with the #FlintwaterCrisis
— Mari Copeny (@LittleMissFlint) July 12, 2018
Extremely grateful for him and all he has done so far.
Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO, was asked last year over a tweet to name the most exciting and influential person on the Twitter platform, "To me personally? I like how Elon Musk uses Twitter," Dorsey tweeted. "He’s focused on solving existential problems and sharing his thinking openly. I respect that a lot, and all the ups and downs that come with it." To that, Musk replied, "Thanks Jack, Twitter rocks!"
Thanks Jack, Twitter rocks! 🤡😎🌪💩🔥🥜💨🍃💫🚀🥰
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2019
Dorsey, held the Twitter company's annual One Team conference in Houston, Texas where many Twitter employees gathered last week. During the event, Dorsey called Musk via video chat. He asked him to give the Twitter company some feedback on how to improve the social media platform. "Give us some direct feedback, critique," Dorsey asked:
"What are we doing horribly? What could we be doing better? What’s your hope for [Twitter’s] potential as a service? If you were running Twitter, what would you do?"
Musk told Dorsey in front of the audience at the event, that Twitter could improve its platform if there was a way to distinguish bot accounts from real people, he said:
"I think it would be helpful to differentiate between real and you know, not just like a verified person, but is this a real person, or is this a bot net or a sort of troll army or something like that? Basically, how do you tell if the feedback is real or someone trying to manipulate the system? Or probably real or probably trying to manipulate the system."
What @elonmusk thinks Twitter could be doing better. #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/BvAUee7rmn
— Mary Kate (@_maryjordan) January 16, 2020
On Twitter, especially under Musk's Tweet messages, he gets a lot of spam from bots, which are automated messaging accounts that promote cryptocurrency sales, among other scams. There is also a lot of automated accounts that spread false information. "Some way to differentiate between, this is a real person and this is someone just trying to manipulate the system. I see people trying to sway public opinion, and sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what’s real public opinion and what’s not. What are people actually upset about versus manipulation of the system by various interest groups? And there are many such groups," Musk told Dorsey.
.@elonmusk on when the first tweet will be sent from Mars. #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/mW4y6FLDBq
— Mary Kate (@_maryjordan) January 16, 2020
During the video chat, Musk also shared he believes the first human to send a tweet from Mars will occur "five years from now... probably not more than nine years from now." Musk has previously said SpaceX aims to take humans to Mars by 2024. He often shares his future plans through tweets. In March 2019, he shared he would like to send Starship to create a fully "self-sustaining city" on Mars by the year 2050.
It’s possible to make a self-sustaining city on Mars by 2050, if we start in 5 years & take 10 orbital synchronizations
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2019
He often has conversations with his Twitter followers regarding SpaceX's future plans to take humans back to the moon and on building the first colony on Mars. Musk loves to get technical, he appreciates when his followers ask him tech stuff regarding rocket development or Tesla software, and he responds in detail when he reads a good question. He loves Twitter!
I love Twitter
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 21, 2017
Follow me on Twitter Evelyn J. Arevalo !
About the Author
Evelyn Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
