Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter
| Authors | Kate Conger, Ryan Mac |
|---|---|
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Published | September 17, 2024 |
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
| Pages | 480 |
| ISBN | 978-0593656136 |
Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter is a 2024 book written by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac. It covers the controversial takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk.[1][2][3][4] Character Limit was published on September 17, 2024, by Penguin Press.
About
[edit]Character Limit chronicles the rise and fall of Twitter after Elon Musk's tumultuous $44-billion-dollar acquisition. The book showcases Musk's volatility, highlighting the actions that led to the company's drastic devaluation and the resurgence of unmoderated hate-speech, misinformation, and white nationalism on the platform.[5][6]
Reception
[edit]The book was listed as one of Lit Hub's most anticipated books of 2024.[7]
Kirkus Reviews praised the book as an "engrossing, precise account of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now X). A compelling fusion of business history and worrisome social narrative".[8]
James Ball of The Guardian, in a positive review, wrote that Conger and Mac have the "astonishing ability to take the reader into almost every room that mattered during the contentious $44bn acquisition".[9]
Zack Ruskin of the Washington Post called Character Limit "riveting" and writes the book "offers a treasure trove of answers regarding Elon Musk’s somewhat shadowy acquisition of the company, both in terms of the financials and his motivation." Ruskin said the book serves as a "telling lesson in the cost of getting everything you want".[10]
Despite Conger and Mac reaching out with over 500 questions before the publication of Character Limit, Musk did not respond.[11] His only response to the book was a retweet to a photo of Character Limit to which he replied with two laughing emojis.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Character Limit". kirkusreviews.com.
- ^ "How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter : Fresh Air". NPR. 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ Miller, Stuart (2024-09-13). "'How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter' authors say platform is 'a tool for controlling political discourse'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ Ball, James (18 September 2024). "Character Limit by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac review – Musk's Twitter takeover". Manchester: Guardian Media Group. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "The inside story of Elon Musk's Twitter takeover". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Tech Elon Musk's X sued this nonprofit after it exposed hate speech, and its new research shows little has changed". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Temple, Emily (July 10, 2024). "Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2024, Part Two".
- ^ "Character Limit How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter".
- ^ "Character Limit by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac review – Musk's Twitter takeover".
- ^ "The inside story of Elon Musk's Twitter takeover". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Elon Musk's X is a financial 'disaster,' co-authors of new book 'Character Limit' say".
- ^ "Elon Musk emoji retweet".