Elon Musk defends reason why hate speech won't be removed from X

Elon Musk is known for his outspoken views as he regularly posts his unfiltered opinions of others on his platform X.

In a recent interview with Don Lemon, whom he said only accepted because Lemon’s show is on X, Musk answered questions about company updates, his conversation with former US president Donald Trump, and personal habits.

The tech billionaire also shed light on the policies behind his social media platform X, particularly why hate speech won't be removed if it is posted.

Lemon confronted Musk showing him antisemitic and racist tweets that were still on X, asking why they haven't been taken down.

'Moderation is a propaganda for censorship,' Musk said / ANDREAS SOLARO / Contributor / Getty

'From your own content policy, these posts should have been deleted. Why haven’t they been deleted?' the former CNN anchor asked.

The entrepreneur responded by saying that posts are only deleted from X 'if they are illegal' before following up with another question.

'So, Don, you love censorship, is what you’re saying?' Musk retaliated.

To which Lemon replied that he believed he did 'in moderation', leading Musk responded with: 'Moderation is a propaganda word for censorship.'

Moreover, the SpaceX founder denied responsibility for encouraging or promoting any hate speech, saying, 'if content is on the platform, that doesn’t mean we promote it.' He also rejected the fact that hate speech has increased on X since his ownership.

When pressed on whether he felt a responsibility to moderate X as its owner, Musk sidestepped the question and highlighted the social media platform's community notes that are designed to combat misinformation.

Lemon showed Musk various antisemitic tweets on X / NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty

The Tesla CEO said that he only saw a responsibility to 'adhere to the law' and his commitment to display why things are shown on X according to its algorithm.

Furthermore, Musk expressed his irritation throughout the interview, telling the interviewer that he was asking inappropriate questions and he was 'upset' by the way the questions were phrased.

Outside of social media, Musk teased a collaboration between his Tesla and SpaceX businesses for the next Roadster model, which he hinted would incorporate 'rocket technology.'

He envisioned: 'I think the only way to do something that’s cooler than the Cybertruck is to combine SpaceX and Tesla technology to create something that’s not even really a car.'