Musk Says Kanye West’s Twitter Account Restored Before Takeover

Rapper Kanye West attends the WSJ Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at MOMA in New York City on Nov. 6, 2019. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk said Twitter had restored the account of Kanye West before he acquired the social media company for $44 billion.

“They did not consult with or inform me,” Musk wrote on Friday.

West, who has changed his legal name to Ye, had his Twitter account suspended earlier this month for violating the platform’s policies, Twitter’s spokesperson confirmed to multiple media outlets. The move came after the musician’s comments on Twitter were accused of being anti-Semitic.

The chief executive of Tesla, who has long been critical of the platform’s content moderation policy, officially took over Twitter Thursday night. The billionaire entrepreneur fired CEO Parag Agrawal and several top executives, including the individual in charge of Twitter’s content moderation, Vijaya Gadde, according to multiple media reports.

Within 24 hours of completing the takeover deal, the new owner of Twitter also announced he would form a council to oversee the social media outlet’s content moderation decisions “with widely diverse viewpoints.”

“No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes,” Musk wrote on Friday.

A user then asked, “So why did you restore already Kanye West’s account? Twitter should not be a platform to spew racism and antisemitism.”

The entrepreneur replied that he wasn’t involved in the decision.

“Ye’s account was restored by Twitter before the acquisition,” Musk replied.

Yet there has been no update on the rapper’s Twitter page as of Oct. 30.

The most recent post is from Oct. 8, when West wrote, “Iranian youth are leading a revolution against 44 years of dictatorship. The world needs to support them and honor their courage.”

West’s Post

In the now-deleted post, West wrote, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”

West appeared to be referring to the U.S. Armed Forces’ heightened readiness status DEFCON 3.

Twitter pulled the post and placed West’s page under restrictions.

“The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitter’s policies,” a Twitter spokesperson confirmed with BuzzFeed News on Oct. 9.

West, also a fashion designer, said he had lost $2 billion in a single day due to his controversial comment.

A string of brands cut ties with West, including Adidas, Balenciaga, Foot Locker, JPMorgan Chase, Peloton, TJ Maxx, and Vogue. With the loss of Adidas’s deals, the superstar was knocked out of Forbes’ billionaire ranks, said the media outlet.

In response, the musician-turned-entrepreneur said he is buying Parler, a social media platform championing free speech.

“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” West said in an Oct. 17 statement.