Vitalik Buterin Calls for Calm in Musk’s Debates on X

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Vitalik Buterin Calls for Cooler Heads in Elon Musk’s Debates on X

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: January 02, 2025

Key Takeaways

Vitalik Buterin urged Elon Musk to tone down heated discussions and reconsider using account suspensions on X;
Buterin emphasized that respecting free speech is crucial, even when the ideas are difficult to agree with;
Musk faced criticism for supporting H1B visas, with accusations that his platform penalized opposing voices.

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Vitalik Buterin Calls for Cooler Heads in Elon Musk’s Debates on X

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Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum ETH $3,000.88 , has raised concerns about Elon Musk’s approach to free speech on X.

On December 31, Buterin posted on X, acknowledging Musk’s dedication to free speech but urging him to soften the tone of discussions.

Buterin also criticized Musk’s alleged use of account suspensions, sometimes referred to as the "banhammer". This term describes the removal of users or their privileges for policy violations.

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He emphasized that free speech matters most when dealing with ideas we disagree with. Buterin stated:

Respecting free speech is easy when we agree with the speech and hard when we think it’s awful.

Buterin also highlighted the responsibility of leaders to set a positive tone in public discussions. He wrote, "The role of leaders in setting the tone is really important and can be used to great good or great evil".

The conversation began after Musk defended immigrants working under H1B visas in the US, which drew backlash from some conservatives.

Critics argued that such hiring practices harm job opportunities for Americans. Tensions grew when users accused Musk’s social media platform of penalizing accounts that opposed his stance.

Aside from the debate, Musk recently changed his X account name to "Kekius Maximus" and updated his profile picture to a Pepe PEPE $0.00000456 meme. How did the crypto market react? Read the full story.