Shortly after it was announced that Elon Musk had reached a deal to buy Twitter on Monday, a rumor began circulating claiming that Musk suspended Bill Gates from the platform. The tweet, which allegedly shows Gates’ suspended account, has been shared close to 4,000 times, and liked close to 40,000 times.
Gates has not been suspended from Twitter, and in fact his official Twitter account has been active every day since Musk’s deal was announced on April 25.
In an April 25 press statement announcing the news, Musk stressed the importance of free speech, saying: “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”
A spokesperson for Bill Gates also confirmed to The Dispatch Fact Check via email that this claim is false.
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It would have been funny if he did.
Power play.