Elon Musk asks followers if TikTok is ‘destroying civilisation’

• Elon Musk mocks TikTok short video-sharing app on Twitter.
• Chinese-owned app is one of the most popular in the world, posing a threat to US-based IT giants.
• Tesla employees describe Musk’s public behaviour as “a frequent cause of distraction and shame”.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, mocked the TikTok short video-sharing app on Saturday, claiming that some people fear it is “killing civilization.”

The Chinese-owned app is one of the most popular in the world, posing a threat to the supremacy of US-based IT giants.

Elon Musk, who is in talks to buy Twitter, is well-known for his frequent use of social media, which has gotten him into trouble owing to his harsh public pronouncements.

He slammed TikTok on Twitter today, asking his followers if it is “killing civilisation.”

Or perhaps social media in general

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 18, 2022

“Or perhaps social media in general,” he said in his next tweet.

In a letter, Tesla employees described his public behaviour, as well as recent sexual harassment charges against him, as “a frequent cause of distraction and shame for us.”

“As our CEO and most visible speaker, Elon is perceived as the face of SpaceX – every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the firm,” the letter added.

The employees were fired after an investigation because of their “overreaching activism.”