Elon Musk Is For Free Speech, Not Bad Business | Bobby Burack
Former CNN host Don Lemon questioned Elon Musk's assertion that he's a "free speech absolutist" after Musk terminated a deal between Lemon and X on Wednesday.
Musk canceled the partnership following an interview for Lemon's new podcast, which debuts on Monday.
Lemon claims Musk didn't appreciate the "tense" questions he asked. Musk says he realized during the interview that Lemon hoped to bring "CNN to X" and remains in the back pocket of former CNN boss Jeff Zucker.
"His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying. And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity," Musk posted on X.
"All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else."
In January, we credited X for signing a deal with Lemon. We called it a "win for free speech."
Whether you agree with Lemon's political opinions or not, a free speech platform is better if both Lemon and those at the opposite end of the spectrum are free to express their opinions.
That said, Musk did not rescind his commitment to free speech by axing a partnership with Lemon. He did not ban Lemon from the social media platform. Nor did he de-monetize Lemon's content.
Lemon is still free to upload his forthcoming podcast and monetize it on X via the same avenues to which all other content creators have access.
Terminating the partnership simply removes X from its financial investment in Lemon's brand.
Note: neither Musk nor Lemon detailed what the previous agreement entailed, be it upfront money, a salary, or a revenue share.
"X is a platform that champions free speech, and we’re proud to provide an open environment for diverse voices and perspectives. The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities," posted the official X Business account in response to Lemon's claims.
"However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show."
Elon Musk supports free speech. He doesn't support bad business.
Don Lemon is bad business. He's been that for years.
Lemon hosted the lowest-rated primetime show in cable news (CNN, MSNBC, Fox News). The morning show to which he was demoted set record lows in the mornings on CNN.
To be frank, liberal pundits do not generally attract the same large audiences as their conservative counterparts. For example, there was never an adequate "Rush Limbaugh on the left."
The market for progressive media is oversaturated across CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. The teaser for Lemon's interview with Musk displays the same smug, prickly approach to "journalism" as each of those outlets:
Still, Lemon has an opportunity to prove Musk a fool. We doubt he does, but the success or lack thereof of his new podcast will precisely determine whether Elon Musk made a wise business decision in terminating the partnership.