An Axios report published Thursday argued that Elon Musk was behaving like a "supervillian" by attempting to buy Twitter and take it private, calling the situation "worse case scenario."
In a piece headlined "Elon Musk goes into full goblin mode," Felix Salmon referenced a tweet from Musk, which has since been deleted, that included a meme that said, "In all fairness your honor, my client was in ‘goblin mode.’"
Musk offered to purchase Twitter on Thursday for over $43 billion.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during the unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y in Hawthorne, California on March 14, 2019. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW YORK TIMES CALLS ELON MUSK'S POSSIBLE FUTURE PLANS ‘TREACHEROUS,' ‘THREAT’ TO TWITTER
"The world's richest man — someone who used to be compared to Marvel's Iron Man — is increasingly behaving like a movie supervillain, commanding seemingly unlimited resources with which to finance his mischief-making," the piece read.
The Axios post said that Musk could be a "dangerous beast" in Goblin mode.
"Twitter is where journalists congregate and do a lot of their work, and they really don't want to be working in Elon Musk's private playpen," Salmon wrote.
FILE - This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. Twitter will now prohibit hate speech that targets religious groups using dehumanizing language. The social network already bans hateful language related to religion when it's aimed at individuals. The change broadens that rule to forbid language that likens members of religious groups to subhumans or vermin. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
He also wrote that because Musk said his offer was final, that it would be "easier for Twitter's board to reject."
"This outcome was generally considered a low-probability worst-case scenario. Now it's here," Salmon concluded.
Several other media personalities and analysts have spoken out against Musk's actions, including MSNBC analyst Anand Giridharadas, who said the Tesla CEO was the reason to "abolish billionaires."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 13: Elon Musk attends TIME Person of the Year on December 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIME)
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Musk previously disclosed that he purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter. After it was announced that he would be joining the Twitter Board of Directors, he rejected a seat on the board.
Prior to reports that he had purchased the biggest share of the social media company, Musk asked his many Twitter followers if the platform "rigorously adheres" to free speech principles. He also if a new social media platform was necessary.
"I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy," Musk wrote in a letter to Twitter chairman Bret Taylor after offering to purchase the social media company Thursday. "However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form."