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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has questioned whether China is gaining influence over Twitter’s operations through Elon Musk’s imminent takeover of the social media company.
The two billionaires compete in the commercial space industry with Mr. Bezos’ Blue Origin and Mr. Musk’s SpaceX. After Mr. Musk’s bid to buy Twitter received approval from the company’s board of directors on Monday, it now competes with Mr. Bezos in the media space, which Mr. Bezos owns the Washington Post.
“Interesting question. Has the Chinese government gained some pressure on the town square?” Mr. Bezos tweeted in a tweet listing links between China and Mr. Musk’s electric vehicle maker Tesla.
“My answer to that question is probably no,” said Mr. Bezos a few hours after asking the question on Monday evening. “The more likely outcome in this regard is sophistication in China rather than Twitter censorship for Tesla.”
Mr. Bezos’ concerns about the Chinese government’s influence on the public square did not mention the Chinese Communist Party’s relationship with The Post.
T. Becket Adams, program director of the National Center for Journalism, noted that The Post has been publishing supplements from the Chinese Communist Party’s “China Daily” for decades.
“Between 2016 and 2020, the CCP paid WaPo $4.5 million+,” Mr. Adams said. “Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013.”
Mr. Bezos’ concern about China was quickly voiced by critics who reviewed Mr. Musk’s takeover.
California Democrat Representative Ro Khanna said Tuesday that Mr. Bezos does not make editorial decisions at The Post, but has concerns about Twitter’s independence from Chinese influence.
“I guess my question for Elon Musk is does he really want to rule Twitter?” Mr Khanna told CNBC. “So it’s an ungrateful job, who would want to do that? And will the Chinese Communist Party set up a series of independences to answer questions like will it be affected if people ask to be removed from the Twitter platform?”
Musk’s proposed acquisition is expected to close in 2022, pending approval from regulators and Twitter shareholders, according to Twitter.
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