Land of the Giants

In October 2022, Elon Musk made the world’s most expensive impulse purchase. His reasons for buying Twitter were murky at best, but in the story he tells now, he’s saving civilization. In the final episode of this season, we look at Twitter today, inside Elon’s fantasy. What happens when the world’s richest man buys the global town square - and announces that we are doing it all wrong? * Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka [https://twitter.com/pkafka]) * Follow Land of the Giants on your favorite podcast app to get future seasons * Follow @voxdotcom [https://twitter.com/voxdotcom] for more coverage of X/Twitter and Big Tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Twitter employees had always imagined the platform would be used for social good. Their idea was that free expression on the internet would lead to good things. But after the 2016 U.S. election, that notion would be put under stress. And Twitter would have to grapple with the question: what happens when its powerful superuser - who also happens to be the most powerful person in the world - creates havoc on the platform? * Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka [https://twitter.com/pkafka]) * Be the first to hear next week's episode by following Land of the Giants on your favorite podcast app * Follow @voxdotcom [https://twitter.com/voxdotcom] for more coverage of X/Twitter and Big Tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Twitter was created by its users, who invented features like the retweet and hashtag. These features helped create vibrant communities like Black Twitter and Comedy Twitter, but eventually, some groups exploited Twitter’s virality in order to intimidate and harass others online. In this episode: how Twitter became the best and worst place on the internet. EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode contains descriptions of sexual harassment and of graphic threats of violence. This section begins 9 minutes after the midroll break and lasts for about 5 minutes, or approximately 35:30 through 41:20. * This episode hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka [https://twitter.com/pkafka]) and Lauren Goode (@laurengoode) [https://twitter.com/LaurenGoode] * Be the first to hear next week's episode by following Land of the Giants on your favorite podcast app * Follow @voxdotcom [https://twitter.com/voxdotcom] for more coverage of X/Twitter and Big Tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Twitter began life as an accident. In the beginning, even its founders weren’t sure what it was: the internet’s town square, a real-time information source, or the next Facebook, maybe? Twitter's power has always been misunderstood -- by its leaders, by its users, and lately, by the world's richest person. * Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka [https://twitter.com/pkafka]) * Be the first to hear next week's episode by following Land of the Giants on your favorite podcast app * Follow @voxdotcom [https://twitter.com/voxdotcom] for more coverage of X/Twitter and Big Tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

A year ago, in what was essentially the world’s most expensive impulse purchase, Elon Musk bought Twitter. That made him Twitter’s most important user. But he’s certainly not the only one to fall for its spell - a spell that promises attention, connection, and power. This season will explore why Twitter’s cultural and political influence far exceeds its size, and how its biggest users shaped it, for better and worse. Hosted by Vox senior correspondent Peter Kafka. Episodes drop every Wednesday beginning October 25th.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]