“By free speech, I simply mean…” explains Elon Musk after Twitter deal

Musk, the world’s richest man, finalised a deal on Monday to buy Twitter for $44 billion sticking to his offer of $54.20 per share.

A day after his twitter’s takeover deal was confirmed, he then explained on Tuesday about what he meant by “free speech” which has figured several times in his plans for social media platforms.

The Tesla chief also targeted his critics in a cryptic tweet saying, “The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all.”

“By ‘free speech’, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people,” Musk said in a tweet Tuesday.

Musk claims to be a “free speech absolutist”. Amid the buzz of his Twitter takeover confirmation yesterday, he also said he wanted even his “worst critics” to stay on the microblogging platform.

The reports over the takeover hits the share market, booming Tesla shares by 12 percent.

After the deal confirmation he than saying, “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”