Will Elon Musk Go Full Future-of-Civilization on Twitter?

Elon Musk, when he wants to, can be quite philosophical—as in February,  when he gave a long speech about his vision for the future from his growing SpaceX spaceport in South Texas. “It is very important—essential—that, over the long term, we become a multi-planet species, and ultimately even go beyond the solar system, and bring life with us,” Musk said, standing in front of a prototype of a giant, gleaming rocket meant to one day travel to the moon and Mars. “The creatures that we love [can’t] build spaceships, but we can, and we can bring them with us.” And the thought of turning science fiction into reality? Musk loves it. “That’s what fires me up the most, is like, Let’s go out there and find out what this universe is all about,” he said. “How did we get here? What is the meaning of life?”

He also for their ride on a SpaceX rocket, Musk—fresh off of —asked his followers whether the company should drop the from its name. (It’s a boob joke.) Today, during an interview at a TED event, Musk said he didn’t have some master plan for Twitter and usually just tweeted whatever he found funny while sitting on the toilet. But he stands ready to plonk down $43 billion to buy the whole thing and take the company private. “Since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” he wrote in a letter his intentions to acquire the company. “Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it.”