Elon Musk Buys Twitter: What Else Could Have Been Done ... - WION

Twitter on Monday (April 25) confirmed that it is selling the micro-blogging platform to the world's richest person Elon Musk in a stunning deal valued at $44 billion. How many zeroes does $44 billion have? Nevermind!

After the deal. the publicly traded firm will now become a private company owned by Musk. Apart from this, Musk's efforts have raised hopes about the commercial potential of the micro-blogging platform.

In a statement after the deal was finalised, Tesla and SpaceX CEO said that free speech is the "bedrock of a functioning democracy". He further added that Twitter is the "digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated".

Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms and millions of people use it. When the news broke, Twitterati reacted with jokes, memes and suggestions.

Among other users, Umar Saif, who is a Pakistani computer scientist and academic, also commented. He rather insinuated that the money used to buy Twitter could have helped Sri Lanka amid the economic crisis.

In a tweet, Saif, who also servesas an advisor to the United Nations Development Programme in Pakistan, wrote, "Elon Musk just bought Twitter for $43 billion."

"For a slightly larger amount, he could have also saved Sri Lanka's international default on its debt of $45 billion. Such is the power of big wealth. Focus on that startup you have been dreaming about," he added.

The European Commission has said that it was too early to comment on the dealbut recalled that the bloc's digital services rules apply to all major platforms.

What else could have been done?

Such an amount could help in solving world hunger. For instance, in a detailed plan, United Nations' World Food Programme noted that Musk could support 42 million people facing famine by giving them one meal per person per day for a year.

As per The Verge report, the cost of that plan was apparently, $6.6 billion. The report also mentioned that the billionaire had donated $5.7 billion to charity in November.

WATCH | Elon Musk acquires social media giant, will Twitter get an 'edit' button now?

Musk could have bought a media house to support journalism, similar to what Jeff Bezos did when he spent $250 million to buy The Washington Post. Laurene Powell Jobs spent around $100 million and owns a majority stake in The Atlantic.

Such an amount could help economies that have been battered by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The amount can facilitate planning for future pandemics.

The amount wouldhelp underdeveloped nations to provide citizens with basic amenities like food, clean water, proper sanitation, etc.

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