Elon Musk's Twitter-Substack Feud Intensifies with Handpicked Writer Quitting

 


On April 6th, writers on Substack could not embed tweets in their posts anymore. This was because Twitter blocked likes, retweets, and comments on tweets with Substack newsletter links. Moreover, users could not pin tweets with a Substack link to their profile. As reported by Mashable, after writer Matt Taibbi announcing to leave Twitter and only using Substack, Elon Musk unfollowed him.  Matt Taibbi was the editor for 'Twitter Files', that Musk believed would be a shocking exposé of former leadership, but now they are not on great terms.


Intentional Or Not? Why Block Substack?

At first, it was uncertain whether Twitter's action was intentional because Twitter did not officially make an announcement. However, as reported by The Verge, Taibbi mentioned that he was informed that Twitter's reaction to Substack's posts was due to the launch of a feature similar to Twitter called "Notes" by the newsletter platform. 

Substack’s Notes


Why Did Writers Quit?

Twitter annoyed writers because it deprived them of their free compositions by forbidding sharing links. Matt Taibi said, "Since sharing links to my articles is a primary reason I came to this platform, I was alarmed and asked what was going on." The New York Times said that independent Substack writers often lived on paid subscriptions for income, significantly relying on Twitter as a crucial platform for reaching their audience. Therefore, the limitation had a direct impact on their earnings. 



According to The New York Times, Substack's founders expressed that writers deserve the freedom to share links and that they should be rewarded for their work. They further emphasized the importance of putting writers in control, protecting free speech and the press, and funding quality works. 


Predicament for Twitter's Reputation

The Verge criticized Elon Musk's inconsistency between making free speech his brand and cracking down on a much smaller company because it imitated Twitter when creating a feature. There have been a lot of issues, including fleeing advertisers and flailing paid subscriptions since Musk's taking over, and Mashable thought the situation did not get better. Since writers are significant for social media, losing them decreases the views and frequency of usage. Also, Elon Musk's continuous adverse issues might reduce users' trust in Twitter, which worsens Twitter's reputation. Will the situation get better in the future? Let's wait and see.

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