In a recent episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart, the liberal comedian, poked fun at Elon Musk after Musk hosted an interview with former President Donald Trump on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). Stewart wasn’t alone in his critique; fellow billionaire Mark Cuban joined in, questioning Musk’s intentions with the platform.
But Musk wasn’t about to stay quiet—he responded, explaining how X’s algorithm really works.
Stewart and Cuban hinted that Musk might be using X for his own purposes. They suggested that Musk’s takeover of the platform in 2022 wasn’t just about running a business; it was about controlling conversations and influencing people’s opinions. Musk, who is a strong believer in free speech, has always said that X is a place where everyone can speak their mind, no matter their political views.
Cuban began by saying, “I mean, look at Elon, right? Elon, being one of the most powerful people, he’s trying to be the most influential man in the world — it sounds like a commercial — but literally, that’s what Twitter has given him.” Stewart then said, “I’ve gotta say, I think he might already be the most powerful. I don’t even think he’s trying to be.
When you’re setting up satellite links in war zones and controlling the most important media platform, you’re the most powerful.”
Cuban went on to talk about how X operates all over the world. “Cause Twitter is in almost every country, right? And so Twitter gives him the ability to connect to the prime minister, the head of every country in the world. And that person, whoever’s in charge of that country, has an interest in what happens on Twitter.
What happens on Twitter, because of the control of the algorithms, being the biggest user, is all dependent on Elon Musk. He literally, wherever his thumb wants to go, he gets to push as hard as he wants,” Cuban explained.
Stewart then brought up Musk’s concerns about civil war, especially when it comes to white Americans. “I think he’s very clear that civil war is inevitable, and that white people are under the gun,” Stewart said. Cuban responded with, “Frightening, concerning.”
The conversation shifted to how X’s algorithm works. Cuban hinted that Musk might be tweaking things to suit his own preferences. “When you write an algorithm — I haven’t written a lot, it’s been a while — but when you write one, you get to set the parameters of what you want to see happen.
And he certainly has done that to the things he likes,” Cuban noted. Stewart added, “But isn’t this a certain amount of tech bro malpractice, that there is this incredible need in the marketplace for something that is slightly less biased or … toxic?”
Musk jumped in on X to respond to these comments. He explained, “That was hilarious 😂 Unlike the other platforms, our algorithm is open source! And if you interact and argue with ‘right-wing’ accounts, which Cuban does a lot, the algorithm will assume that’s what you want to do and give you more of it lmao.”
A popular X account later shared the clip, saying, “Mark Cuban and Jon Stewart slam 𝕏 and @elonmusk, accuse Musk of manipulating the algorithm to push his preferred narratives to influence the election.” The account also added, “Neither one of these guys have a problem with an entire media industry built to lie, manufacture hoaxes and flat-out manipulate information in service of their preferred candidate.
A single platform that provides uncensored information from all sides — and now has an owner that doesn’t align with the left’s preferred narratives — is the only issue in today’s political discourse and electoral politics.”
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