Democracy Dies in Darkness

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey says Musk wasn’t an ideal leader after all

The former CEO issued his strongest criticism yet of Musk’s takeover of the social media site

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April 29, 2023 at 12:15 a.m. EDT
Elon Musk received some harsh criticism of his leadership of Twitter from the social media platform's creator, Jack Dorsey, on Friday. (Marlena Sloss/Bloomberg News)
5 min

SAN FRANCISCO — Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey issued his sharpest criticism yet of Elon Musk’s leadership of Twitter on Friday, saying Musk has not proved to be the platform’s ideal steward — and should have walked away from buying the site.

The criticisms and explanations came in a series of reply posts Friday night on the fledgling social network Bluesky, a potential Twitter rival that Dorsey helped to start. The remarks illustrate how Musk’s erratic leadership has disillusioned a one-time friend and powerful ally, reflecting a growing backlash against a tumultuous tenure that has sent advertisers fleeing and users searching for alternatives.