The billionaire will now face challenges such as “political bias and ideological dictatorship,” according to Dmitry Medvedev
Then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visiting Twitter’s San Francisco head office in Silicon Valley in 2010. © Sputnik / Dmitry Astakhov
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev wished Elon Musk “good luck” after the world’s richest man reportedly became the owner of Twitter.
Musk allegedly closed the $44 billion deal to purchase the social network platform late on Thursday after several months of negotiations. Some media outlets claimed he had already fired some of Twitter’s top executives. “The bird is freed,” the SpaceX and Tesla CEO tweeted in celebration of the deal.
Medvedev posted a tweet on Friday reading “Good luck Elon Musk in overcoming political bias and ideological dictatorship on Twitter,” pointing out what he considered to be the problems that plagued the social media platform under its previous leadership.
The former president also advised the tech entrepreneur to “quit that Starlink in Ukraine business.”
Operated by Musk’s SpaceX company, Starlink’s satellite service has been the main communications tool for Ukrainian forces amid the conflict with Russia. Earlier this week, top Russian diplomat Konstantin Vorontsov said that the use of civilian satellites for military purposes was an “extremely dangerous” trend and warned that, as such, the spacecraft could be “considered a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike.”
Musk has not yet responded to Medvedev’s message, although the two of them recently had a memorable exchange on Twitter. Last week, the billionaire tried questioning Medvedev, who is now the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, about the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine. The former president dodged the question, instead inviting Musk to visit Moscow on Victory Day on May 9.
In early October, Medvedev reacted to Musk’s peace plan for Ukraine, which infuriated many in Kiev, by joking that the billionaire was actually a Russian “shadowy agent” who had blown his cover but still deserved a promotion in rank.
