Elon Musk's tweets degrade women on a public platform; Tesla employees endure racial slurs at its California plant; and Twitter algorithms promote content that reinforces stereotypes. The sexist, homophobic, and racial rhetoric of the world's richest man runs counter to Twitter's stated objectives and initiatives on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. As long as Musk is at the helm, gender discrimination will continue to hamper women in STEM.
Debating about whether or not Musk himself is sexist distracts from the more crucial questions regarding his takeover of Twitter and the consequences of the acquisition for broader society. The new management of Twitter could see one of the world's largest social media platforms actively reinforcing the First Amendment and tackling the targeted misinformation that it was previously key in spreading. Let's wait until the result of the lawsuit before overemphasizing the claims of this case.